Of Cold Appearances and Warm Hearts
by ClearEyes
Summary: The pale man with startling white hair and beautiful blue eyes walked through the ballroom with his dark blue cloak trailing him as well as a fine layer of... frost? Then, the man spoke up, addressing Queen Elsa: "I've come to collect on a debt acquired long ago. I've come looking for you, Queen Elsa, for we are to get married on the winter solstice." Rating may change later on.
1. Prologue

Prologue

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**Hi! This is ClearEyes signing in; I wish you all a good day or good night and thank all of those who clicked on this story and are bothering enough with it to read the Author Notes. This is a story I came up with that would not leave my mind and so it was created. I'm currently working in the chapters and I'll be uploading once a week, unless _you, my precious readers_, ask for more. That'll only be known by your reviews, so if you'd be so kind as to leave one when you're done reading, it will be greatly appreciated. Now, on with the story!**

**SPECIFICATIONS [Read First]:**

***In this Alternate Universe, I claim that although Jack is, indeed, a spirit, he can be seen because of the power he bears in this FanFiction.**

***The idea of the Winter Court [on later chapters] is not of my own; I read it in one FanFiction (although I can't remeber which) and I liked the idea, so I adopted it into this story becuase _it seemed to fit_. And even when I adopted the idea, the Winter Court I envision will be different than the one of the FanFiction I read; still, I don't mean to offend anyone.**

***In this Universe, also, Jack is colder and lacking the warmth he portays in the original film of Rise of the Guardians. This is because in this story he has never been human; that doesn't mean he's always going to be cold (no pun intended) and detatched. The Jack we all know and love is still in there, but has yet to be awaken.**

***Elsa and pretty much every other character of Frozen is still the same, maybe if a bif OOC that happened unintentionally, but I tried to keep loyal to the original concept there.**

***I'm adapting this Jack to fit in the Universe of Frozen and not the other way around. This is why I had to change the character a bit, but don't worry, he'll come around.**

**I really hope, though, that despite these changed, you will still read this FanFiction and enjoy it as much as I enjoy writing it. You can expect weekly updates ;).**

**DICLAIMER: I do now own under any circumstance the characters of Rise of the Guardias, Guardians of Childhood or Frozen in any way. This is done for entrateinment purposes only, and is (obviously) not for sale or rent. I expect the readers also to respect that this idea is of my original authorship, it has not been copied from anywhere. The bits I might borrow from other stories, if there are any [like the Winter Court, for example], will be declared in the author note. If I remeber who the real author is, I'll name it; if I don't, I'll just write is not mine.**

**Without further ado, ENjOY!**

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The queen sat in front of the chimney as silent tears rolled down her face; behind her, she felt her husband approach. She knew he wanted to help her, but she was ashamed, sad, worried, and, above all, terrified. When he tried to reach for her, to put a hand on her shoulder for comfort, she recoiled from his touch.

"I'm not worthy of being your queen," she mumbled, but he still heard her.

"Don't say that, please," he pleaded, again trying to reach for her before she again backed away.

"It's the second time I lose the baby before it can develop; maybe I'm just not suited to be a mother, after all," she said sadly with new tears overlapping the stains on her cheeks. In a subtle, yet fast dive, the king finally reaches her wife and envelopes her in a strong, comforting hug.

"Don't say that; we haven't tried hard enough, that's all. We can still ask them," he said, his hand drawing comforting circles in her back.

"You're not mad at me?" she asked with a shaky voice, barely above a whisper.

He snickered, quite unroyally, but he didn't care; there was no one but them to hear. "Of course not… it's not your fault," he replied and in a wave of feelings, the queen broke down again in the arms of his beloved. When she calmed down, and just before she fell asleep, he whispered in her ear something that eased her soul:

"Tomorrow at first light we ride to the trolls; they'll know what we can do."

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Just as the king said, before the sun was fully out in the sky, the queen and king were riding together into the forest. She was riding in a formidable white mare, while his horse was a beautiful auburn color. Both of them were excellent kings and loved by the people, but that same people was starting to wonder when they were going to have a prince or princess to success the throne after their current monarchs. They took a while before they could find exactly the place where the trolls lived, but they were patient people. Soon enough, they were entering the clearing with overgrown grass, which was the place where the trolls liked to live.

As soon as their horses were tied to a tree, and they entered the clearing, many of the stones, if not all of them, turned into small, round little beings with funny faces; the one who appeared to be the eldest rose and stared at the king and queen, before approaching the worried couple. "Are you the trolls that inhabit this land?" the king asked in his most formal manner, the one used in diplomatic talks. After all, this was no longer part of Arandel and he needed to be respectful.

"Yes, we are. To what do we honor your presence in our humble home?" the elder asked in a soft, calm voice.

"We wish to seek council," the queen spoke up, feeling her heart beating fast in her chest.

"You may; now come this way," as he finished, he turned around and headed to the center of the circular shaped clearing where he sat down. The king and queen, feeling a bit awkward, did the same right in front of him. With a soft motion, the elder indicated that they could voice their concerns.

The king patted his wife's hand encouragingly and she took the word. "We wish to have a child, and yet it appears that I can't carry them to full term. We've tried for many years and I've lost two babies; we've tried consulting different physicians but their remedies haven't worked as we had hoped. We know that your land is ancient and so are your customs, therefore we come here today asking you if there is anything among your vast knowledge that will be able to grant our wish."

After her little speech, she suddenly felt exhausted and tears welled up in her eyes again, but she pushed them down. Her emotions were on a rampage and another disillusion could, and very well would, kill her. Her anxiousness was visible, and so her husband once again squeezed her hand in hopes it would bring some comfort. It did, even if just a little. Then the elder replied and their attention immediately shifted to the troll.

"We do not have the knowledge that you seek," he said and the monarchs felt their hopes die; that is, until the elder kept speaking, "but I know someone who is even more ancient than we are and she might have a solution. Of course, I hope you won't be telling _her_ that I called her ancient, or she would be sure to leave us without rain for months," he joked with a light laugh, but the king and queen did not follow.

"Who is this you're speaking of?" the king asked, trying not to let his frustration show. The troll was helping them when he didn't have to, and he knew he couldn't afford to be rude.

"Mother Earth," was his simple reply and then he stood up. "I'll go summon her, because if you try to look for her yourselves you won't be able to find her." With that, he marched into the foliage and the clearing was left in silence.

Somewhere in the conversation, the rest of the trolls had cleared out of the place; not even their rock forms were in the clearing and the couple felt thankful for their moment of privacy.

"Do you think we can still have a child?" the queen voiced her concerns.

The king, in return, thought about his answer. "I don't know," when he saw the sadness in his wife's eyes he was quick to add something else. "But I do know we are going to do everything in our power to find out."

That somewhat calmed the anxious queen, but before she could say anything else, from the bushes came the troll trailed by a tall, slim and pale woman, with golden eyes and flowing black her that cascaded down her back in swift waves. Her eyes were distant, but they held some sort of understanding that the king and queen did not understand themselves. They rose swiftly and bowed, because even if they were royalty, Mother Earth had a lot more authority than they had. But before they could speak, she raised her hand to stop them from uttering a word.

"Before we initiate a conversation, you must vow that you won't speak of this meeting to no one," she said in a soft, yet firm voice. Both of them nodded solemnly and then all three proceeded to sit down on the floor. The eldest troll was with them too to help as a mediator. "I understand you want to have a child, and yet you are not able to carry the baby to full term," she stated but it sounded like a question in another way, which left the royal couple puzzled.

"Yes ma'am," was the reply of the king. Mother Earth smiled softly.

"I can help you grant your wish. Using elemental magic I'll create a potion that, once drinking it, will strengthen your body to carry the baby to full term, is that all right with you?" she then said, barely leaving them space to talk or to feel anything but relief.

"Yes, absolutely," was the eager reply of the queen, now hopeful.

"You must also know that the prince or princess you will have might be a bit… different."

"How different?" the queen asked.

"He or she might develop magic, or might not, it all depends, and that magic in itself will depend on the element with which I make the potion," she explained, leaving the king and queen more confused than before. "It won't be dangerous or substantially different; the baby just might show some talents no other human have."

The royals exchanged a glance and, after a silent agreement, nodded to Mother Earth. "What do you ask in return?" the king asked.

"When I come to collect, you will know," Mother Earth enigmatically said before she stood up, followed by the royals.

"As soon as you conceive, you'll find the vial with the potion near. Take it immediately, and remember, not because is magic it is unbeatable. If anything happens to the mother while the baby isn't developed, it will be lost. Magic doesn't go against the natural laws," after that came a strong wind that lifted many leaves around the royals; when it diminished, they were no longer in the clearing and any sign of Mother Earth or the trolls had vanished.

With a sigh of relief and teary smiled, the queen and king hugged each other tight before returning to their home… and it wasn't even midday yet.

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As promised by Mother Earth, when the queen conceived she found a small vial with a clear bluish liquid that she immediately drank. The potion had immediate effects, making her feel stronger and with more energy. The king was as thrilled as his wife; finally, they were going to have an heir… but more than that, and leaving royalty behind, they were going to have a baby and become parents. With that new responsibility, came new fears and worries that both of them managed to turn into hopes and dreams for their seemingly bright future.

Arandel rejoiced and there were huge celebrations all throughout the kingdom that lasted over a month. Everyone was excited and it could be felt in the air for the new prince or princess. And so, time moved on, and when the first snowfall arrived in Arandell, midways through November, a beautiful baby girl with pale hair and fair skin was born. She was loved immediately by her parents, the staff of the castle, and the rest of the kingdom.

For the first months of her life, the princess didn't develop the magic Mother Earth and warned them about, a worry that had caused them sleepless nights, and so it was forgotten. But when the princess, named Elsa, had her first anniversary of life, they finally showed.

The queen had gone to wake the princess up while the king did his rounds and court sessions, and what a surprise when she found the crib full of white, oh so fluffy snow! At first she panicked, she thought someone had been reckless enough to leave the windows open in the blizzard the night before, but then she repaired in the fact that it was only on the crib. With Elsa in her arms, she rushed to the king and told him all about it, privately, and the following days she was kept under constant watch.

Three days after the incident, Elsa had been playing with an old doll that seemed to please her, watched by her parents as always, when a thin layer of ice started to creep out from the baby's hands into the fabric and the doll. When the princess was done playing, the doll was encased in beautiful white ice.

The king and queen or Arandell were alarmed, yet they knew it was bound to happen when they accepted the deal of Mother Earth… and that's the moment our story _begins_.

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**So, this is the end of the prologue/pilot. I hope you liked it, there will be more to come. I say so because I already started writing the following chapters, in hopes that this time I can update regularly. I am not going to lie, I suck at keeping deadlines, but I'm doing my best to maintain them this time around. Also, I believe I have two unfinished stories and I'd like to be honest too: I have no idea on how to continue either one of them. That doesn't mean I'm not trying, but I've been breaking my head on trying to find inspiration for those, forbidding myself of uploading anything else, and I just realized that doing such only makes everything worse. I hope that by doing this story I'll be able to finally finish those stories and come to full term.**

**Until we meet again,**

**ClearEyes.**


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One

**Okay, so here's the thing. I've created two monsters with this FanFiction, both of which I know personally, and both of which have tried to steal my laptop several times to read the chapters I've written but haven't posted. Seeing as they really seem anxious to read the next chapter, and seeing I really don't want to hand in my computer, this will be an early upload. Also, someone else told me that wait a week to post was too long; what do you think? How often should I update? Suggestions welcome as reviews or PMs!**

**My next, less convincing argument is that the previous one was a prologue, not a chapter, and that all of you my, ever faithful readers, deserve a chapter. It's short, or well, not as long as others I've written, but I hope this will satisfy your curiosity, ease your anxiety, and make you understand the direction I'm heading with this story.**

**Without further ado, then, I present to you, Chapter One! On with the story! (Read the Author Note at the end for replies to the reviews and more of me blabbering.)**

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"I knew it would get out of hand!" the king paced furiously the length of his chambers while her wife tearfully watched.

After discovering Elsa's ice powers, they knew it wasn't going to be easy, but they thought she would learn how to control them. And after another four years **(A/N: According to the Outtakes of the Soundtarack, in the song calles "We know better" on the comentary it's said that that song is when Anna is a baby and Elsa is four years old; just in case you're wondering)**, they had another baby girl, who they named Anna. They explained carefully to Elsa that she was not to touch the baby or to use her magic _on_ her, and still that hadn't prevented the incident of that morning.

Elsa, accidentally of course, had shot some of her magic to Anna's head, almost leaving her in an eternal sleep if they hadn't been fast enough to go to the trolls again. Now it was the middle of the night and the king and queen were discussing what could possibly be done to help both of their princesses.

"But is it really necessary to hide Elsa's talent? Even from Anna? You know she can make beautiful things," the queen tried reasoning again with her husband.

"And risk another incident like this? No; we must separate the girls, each to a room of their own, and lock the gates of the palace. No one comes in or out, dealing with court will have to be outside… we'll manage such affairs," the king retorted, blinded by worry and fear.

And so it was done, for Elsa was kept isolated as much as possible from her sister, because her parents wanted and because she loved Anna too much to risk her life again. As far as Elsa was concern, she was a danger to the people around her.

And so the years passed, with Anna drowning in loneliness and Elsa trying very hard to acquire control over her powers. She liked her magic, but she feared it. She didn't want to hurt anyone. And then, one hateful days the monarchs had to leave on a diplomatic mission by sea… and they never came back.

It hit both princesses hard, but unknown to Anna, the loneliest was Elsa. Her parents were the only ones to accept her magic because they were the only ones, who actually knew, who helped her, who guided her, and now they were gone and she had to deal with it all on her own. Another problem was that the king and queen took another secret to their grave: the origin of Elsa's power.

The story we know then developed. Many years passed while Elsa prepared to be queen and Anna was kept inside the castles walls. On the day of the coronation though, her nerves betrayed her and her secret discovered. Oh, how she remembered the fearful and weary glances the guests directed at her… They made her feel so filthy, so rejected. There she stood alone, in a circle created by her own power while the rest of the people backed away from her.

And Anna; foolish Anna who wanted to marry a complete stranger… In truth, Elsa didn't know what to do about that and could care less, but to see the shock in her sister's face and how she reached for Prince Hans, that stranger, who apparently she trusted more than her, hurt. And who was she to complain? She shut her out, of course Anna wouldn't want to be near her now…

With that thought in mind, she ran. In town, where everyone's eyes were on her and she froze the fountains, her emotions went on rampage and she could no longer control her power. The skies darkened and she was cornered… when she touched the water with her foot, though, it froze enough to sustain her weight and she created then a bridge she used to run away. Without knowing, she froze the summer and left everyone, guests and villagers, stuck in Arandel indefinitely.

Still, when she was away in the mountains she finally felt free. She did not have to hide anymore, and Anna could move on with her life without Elsa being a danger to her. In her own isolation, she was completely free to do what she wanted, and she didn't need to mind about anyone but herself.

The plot unfolded. Anna went chasing after her sister, leaving in charge a stranger who in reality wanted nothing but power. In her quest, she managed to find a man who, although poor and not royalty, was courageous and had a true heart inside of him. He was honest to himself and to the people around him; raised by trolls, what else could be expected of Kristoff? They were the most pacific kind leaving in the forest; their wisdom helped them make the right decision without being reckless. What they did had a motive, and such is the philosophy they tried to pass onto their adopted son. Of course, he still needed to make a living out of something, because he needed to eat and socialize with other _humans_. And so, by fate or coincidence, he met Anna.

He helped her reach the top of the mountain where Elsa's ice palace was. Anna tried to convince Elsa to go back with her, she wanted to be friends again and she wouldn't judge her. Still, the demons that hunted Elsa were too great; she was still very much afraid. With her making the decision, it was a lot easier to stay away than to face her problems. And then Anna told her what her powers had caused to Arandell; and those fears she thought had stopped came back all at once. She did not want to go back, she did not know how to fully control her power yet and she doubted she ever would.

However, Anna wouldn't shut up! She would insist, and keep insisting; Elsa lost her temper and unleashed a wave of ice that pierced Anna, literally, through her heart. And Elsa never knew until it was almost too late… She left… Elsa kicked her out of her palace, content with being in her oblivious isolation where she could pretend everything was perfectly fine. She didn't care about Anna or Arandell at all… except she did.

Anna started to freeze, just like the trolls had warned the royal family a long time ago, but you already know that, don't you? And at the same time Hans leaded a party against Elsa, where two hidden mercenaries tried to kill her and she was forced to defense herself using her powers, making it seem like evil, like she was a monster. But she realized too late.

She was captured, chain in her own dungeon, accused of treason because of something she couldn't really control. And all the while Anna made it back to Arandell, only to discover that Hans had been lying and pursuing his own interests. He was about to let her die, she trusted the wrong person, and now she felt like a fool.

And then fate intervened… Kristoff returned, Olaf helped Anna get out of the castle; Elsa freed herself from the dungeons with the only thought of escaping in her mind, and Hans going against her to _kill_ her, while deceiving _everyone_ that the evil one was _Elsa!_ And just like fate likes to weave, this intricate pattern came to an intersection in the middle of a blizzard, caused by Elsa's own emotions and feelings.

And when Hans told her that Anna had frozen to death, because of her, and that her greatest fear had come to pass… everything lost sense. She didn't know why she was fighting anymore, if the one person she strived all her life to protect had still died of the fate she had tried so hard to prevent. The blizzard stopped, Elsa collapsed; and on her knees in her moment of weakness Hans tried to stab her.

Unbeknown to all, someone was watching and preparing to intervene, someone that was not fate. Standing tall on top of a cliff, where he could see everything that was developing stood a lean boy with pale face and hair white as snow. In his face, two big, startling blue eyes flashed against the paleness of his face. He was dressed in royal robes, those he used when he went out on his rounds to cover the world in winter. With cold detachment, he watched the fight unfold and prepared himself to act, crouching on his knees and ready to sprint on the wind.

"Wait," a voice commanded behind him and he stopped on his tracks to turn to look at the amused face of Mother Earth.

"It's you," he simply said, his voice as cold as the ice he produced.

"Why the long face? Won't you tell me you've missed me?" she mocked and he grimaced.

"She's going to die-," he said and she laughed.

"She won't," Mother Earth replied.

"-and I won't have my queen, as you promised long ago," he finished but she simply shrugged and came to stand next to him.

"Look closer," she whispered in his ear before disappearing in the wind, as silently as she had arrived. He frowned at her games, which he deeply disapproved of, but nonetheless turned his attention back to the fight unfolding below.

Hans was suddenly on the ground, presumably unconscious, while Elsa clung and cried into an ice statue that resembled her sister Anna. _Oh,_ the unknown thought, _the sister decided to save the queen, instead of receiving the kiss that would stop her from freezing. How noble, yet foolish._

His eyebrows rose, though, as he saw the spell of the ice statue break and Anna change back into human. He was deeply intrigued, but he just flashed a cocky grin while he took off to his own palace riding the wind, his long cane gripped between his fingers. _Soon_, he thought, before the seen was completely lost from his sight. _Soon I'll come to collect._

Back in Arandell, queen Elsa had finally learned the secret of her powers and how to control them, even if she didn't know where they came from. She didn't mind, however, as she taught Anna how to skate on the ice in the once again sunny kingdom. She could finally live _free_, in another kind of freedom, which permitted her to be with her family and to rule the kingdom her parents entrusted her.

She thought her problems were over… but they were just beginning.

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**This is it, the end of Chapter One. Tell me what you think in a review, comment on your ideas and thoughts. I really appreciate your opinions and I hope you stick around for more. Thanks to everyone who added this story to their alerts and favorites, you have no idea how flattered I feel. And now, to the replies (forgive me; it's the first time I ever reply _on_ the FanFiction instead of privately through a PM):**

***** **Xkrew01: I'm so glad you liked it! I really wish you liked this chapter too and that you'll stick around to find out what happens next. I can assure and guarantee you that it's going to get pretty intense. ;)**

***** **HopelessRomantic183: Thank you! I had my doubts on how to start the story; how do you like it so far? I know that in this chapter I don't reveal much, either, but I bet you were not expecting that at the end, were you? I'm really glad you enjoyed the beginning, for it's the most important part of a story.**

***** ** : Don't worry, I already am!**

***** **EriNeglop: Thank you for your support and patience. Even when I have replied to all that I'm glad you liked it, you can bet anything that I mean it. I love to know when the readers like my stories, and I like it more when they help me improve. The plot is going to be intense and interesting (I hope), so I wish you will stick around to see Elsa's reaction. Thank you again for reading!**

***** **First Movement: I really like you think so, that was the whole point of writing a prologue in the first place! Thank you for reading and reviewing, and don't worry, I've already written up to chapter five, so rest assured because I'm writing ahead to avoid getting behind.**

**And that's all for today, I hope you liked this chapter for all those who just begun to read the story. Please, your reviews are always welcome, as well as ideas and criticism. How else am I supposed to improve if there are no reviews?**

**Until we meet again,**

**Clear Eyes.**


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

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**Hello guys, I'm back! I'm really amazed by the support you've been showing this story, and I found myself eager to post the next chapter. I decided that I must have five chapter in stock to update the next one, and seeing as I just finished the seventh, I feel the liberty of updating today _this_ chapter. My other excuse is that March has just started, and that deserves an update. I apologize in advance because, you should know, I love cliffhangers; you can expect some of them in this story. Again, Jack is finally going to appear!**

**I am doing my best to make him completely despicable, and his background story is tragic to help explain. But all in due time, you'll eventually know it. Thanks to everyone who has clicked on this story, who has clicked on the 'Favorite' and "Follow' button, to everyone who has taken the time to review. (Specifics at the author note in the end ****J** **) Now, on with the story! ENjOY!**

**P.s. I have all the chapters in one huge Word Document, and let me tell you, I've surpassed my own page limit with the now beautiful total of 57 pages! (I'm bragging, I'm sorry, but I'm just so excited about it!)**

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Queen Elsa had a headache that was increasing.

She was in court, listening to the different petitioners that kept seeking an audience with her, she had to suppress a sigh and a frown while she tried to keep the headache at bay, and failing miserably.

Since the whole incident following the coronation, the betrayal of Hans, the act of true love that Anna performed even if it turned into ice for a few moments, etcetera, etcetera, the gates of the castle were always open and there were no more secrets. The people came into court to ask council, to solve problems, to address political and economic issues, among other things. Every day, since midmorning until midday queen Elsa sat patiently on the throne, but that day was proven to be almost unbearable.

"Are you okay?" Anna asked beside her, eyeing her sister with worry.

"It's just a headache, it'll soon pass," Elsa replied, although it did little to ease the worry Anna felt. "I'll be fine, let's get this over with so I can go to rest."

And so, they finished the last of the petitioners and closed the gates of court. And once again, silence reigned in the castle… well, not really; since the gates had opened, so had the diplomatic and economic relationships with the neighboring kingdoms. That meant that they always had at least one visitor or two of another kingdom that was staying in one of the many available rooms in the castle. Also, the staff had increased; they had rehired all the personal the previous king and queen had fired to protect the secret; a secret that was no longer hidden.

It never ceased to amaze Elsa, even two months after the whole affair that the people actually liked what she did. They were proving to be accepting of her power and they didn't fear her. Of course, there were those who opposed, but who said Arandell was a perfect kingdom? Those who had complaints also came to court… and they were the main cause of the queen's headache.

Once the doors were closed, Elsa finally stood up from the throne. Her right hand, Anna, followed her closely. They went to the dining room, which was huge, but they sat together in two seats and chatted through their meals. Their bond was so much stronger now, that they were almost inseparable.

"So…" Anna started, looking sheepishly at Elsa. She raised an eyebrow in return and lowered her fork with an eye-roll.

"Ask away, Anna, what's on your mind?" she said and Anna beamed.

"Are you still holding the ball next week?" she eagerly asked, speaking so fast that Elsa has actual trouble understanding what Anna wanted to say. When she comprehended, she smiled.

"Of course, we're celebrating your birthday, after all. Why wouldn't we host it?" Elsa said resuming her interrupted task of eating.

"Well, I'm still getting used to having people around. I… I fear that I might wake up one day and realize that this never happened, that you're still locked up in your room with all the doors and windows closed and that I'm alone again, speaking to the paintings," Anna explained, trying to say it in a light mood but failing badly at trying to hide the uncertainty, hurt and fear in them.

Elsa then reached a hand across the table to grab Anna's hand, which lay limp next to her plate. "I promise I will never hurt you again," she said and smiled reassuringly. Anna, feeling her doubts dissipating, smiled back. Of course she wouldn't be alone; she had her sister back, the people and Kristoff… _Oh my, Kristoff!_

Anna rose from her chair so fast that the chair swung back and forth a couple of times; so fast that Elsa got startled enough to drop some water into her dress.

"Anna?" she asked her sister, concern clear in her voice.

"I forgot I had to meet Kristoff today, I'm late!" Anna screeched.

"Then go, don't mind me. I bet he's already bored," Elsa joked and received a glare in exchange, before she saw the skirts of her sister disappear through the door. She sighed in contentment. _Maybe now I'll be able to get a nap before doing more paperwork_.

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On the meantime, in the deck, Kristoff sat waiting with a withering flower in his hand. He felt a cold breeze that made him shiver. _Winter is coming soon,_ he thought and couldn't help but laugh when he remembered that somehow, and only in Arandell, the summer became winter. The demand on ice decreased so much…

And he met Anna. Who, by the way, was late yet again! How many times would she leave him waiting like that? He heard hurried footsteps behind him and turned to see a very flushed Anna staring at him with pleading eyes. How could he ever say no to those eyes? It was worse than Sven when he was whining and asking for carrots.

_Wait, did I just compare the object of my affections with Sven? SVEN?! _ He reprimanded himself while he smiled at her.

"I'm so sorry, Kristoff, I completely forgot," she apologized. He shrugged.

"I just arrived, don't worry," he said and she raised an eyebrow at the withering flower. "Okay, maybe I didn't just arrive."

She smiled and he felt himself melting once again. Anna really didn't have the slightest idea on the effect she produced in him. And so, they were on with their date.

Anna still felt a little unsure, especially after Hans. She had been so eager to experience what love was that she jumped at the prospect with the first stranger she ever met… with disastrous consequences. She knew Kristoff was nothing like Hans, but she still wanted to be sure that if she loved him, it was real love based on honesty and a solid friendship also. Like she saw her parents act when they were still alive.

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Time passed, and soon the week was over and the awaited ball was to take place the next evening. Anna couldn't help being excited, bouncing and jumping all around the palace and seeing the decorations and trying to help. 'Trying' because even when she wanted with all her heart to be useful and help, in her overexcitement she screwed more things than she accomplished and decided it was better if she kept away from the servants. She would have to apologize and compensate the double effort she was forcing them to make.

Elsa, on the other hand, was overstressed. Besides being the queen and attending to her duties, she wanted and was there to supervise first hand that everything went according to the plan for Anna's party. She reviewed the responses to the invitations and the guest lists, she checked that the decorations were going smoothly, she spoke with the chef to arrange the menu, she listened the rehearsal of the musicians she hired just for the occasion, and, last but not least, she prepared her own surprise for her baby sister. Of course, she also had to attend court and listen to the complaints and petitions of her people, because they came first than everything else.

Long story short, she barely slept, barely ate, and barely had time, if any at all, to just sit down and relax. When Queen Elsa was convinced that everyone could survive without her, she retired to her chambers. And what a surprise to find there Anna waiting for her; composing herself, she had to use every bit of self-control not to yell at her sister to get out of her room, for she just wanted to sleep.

"Anna, what are you doing here?" she said in a tight voice, really failing to hide her stress anymore.

Startled by her tone, Anna resolved to haste on her visit. "I just wanted to say thank you," she said, firmly. That startled the tired queen, and the princess then was quick to explain. "I see everything you're doing just for me, and that you want everything to be perfect, even if that means sacrificing your time and effort. And for that I thank you."

Warm in the heart, Queen Elsa smiled softly to her baby sister, and then proceeded to embrace her in a hug. "I'm sorry for all the time I shut you out, so the least I can do now is organize the best party Arandell has seen in years."

The sisters broke away from each other and smiled, before Anna quickly retreated to her chambers and left Elsa to, finally, get some sleep. She still would have to rise before everyone else, but at that moment she didn't really care anymore. She slept in a peaceful, dreamless, slumber.

* * *

Before dawn had fully risen, Elsa was up and about. She went to the kitchens where se fetched a small cake she had ordered the day before from the main cook, and made her way upstairs to her sister's chambers. And what a sight to find Anna all tangled up in the sheets, her mouth open and drooling in the pillows! Elsa wish she could freeze the picture (no pun intended) to have a good laugh every once in a while.

The queen then proceeded to sing an old birthday song traditional in Arandell, which managed to do little to wake the princess. A chill of ice on her skin, though, did the trick. Anna jumped in the air at the contact, and Elsa couldn't help but laugh! The startled princess glared at her before her eyes landed on the cake. "Is that…?"

"Yes it is, Happy birthday Anna!" Queen Elsa exclaimed once she composed herself from the laughter. "It's small one, just for you. I wanted to give you something before the ball began, or even the day for that matter, as a surprise."

Anna's smile was etched all across her face and she was positively gleaming. "Thank you, Elsa."

"And I surely don't regret I did it," Elsa commented eyeing her sister, who just then realized her hair was a mess and that she was still on her night gown, while the queen was already dressed and tidy to receive the court, which would open earlier than usual because of the party that night. Anna pouted, earning another round of giggles form Elsa –yes, she is able of making that sound –and then left to let her sister dress herself.

When Anna was ready, and had eaten a piece of her cake, she left to the docks where she'd meet Kristoff. For some reason it had become their place to meet up almost daily, and she wouldn't change it for the world. This time, when she arrived on time, Kristoff was the one missing. She suppressed a laugh at the irony, while sitting down to wait for him.

While she was waiting, she got to witness something she would never forget, even on her deathbed. Looking into the horizon as the sun rose; she glimpsed a figure against the light. A dot that got increasingly bigger as it was nearing the shore. At first, Anna thought it was a new and strange kind of bird, but when the dot got close enough, what she saw took her breath away.

Against every odd and law, there was a young man floating, his dark blue cloak following behind, giving the illusion of one big wing. He was dressed as a prince, Anna recognized, and her gaze grew increasingly curious. She had never seen someone like him do anything of the sort, and the man hadn't indicated he saw her in any way.

When he reached a cliff and landed, Anna could see the sun reflecting on his skin and finally could see his face. His skin was really pale, almost completely white, with even whiter hair that stuck out in many different directions. He was tall and skinny, maybe too skinny, and he had a strange cane with him; and yet, he walked perfectly fine!

She was pondering on this when she was startled by someone grabbing her shoulders from behind. Startled, she turned around ready to punch someone, when her eyes met Kristoff's. "Oh, it's you," she breathed in relied and he chuckled, obviously amused at having startled her.

"Happy Birthday Anna," Kristoff said, and instead of handing her one flower as he usually did, this time he gave her an entire bouquet. She noticed, also, that he had dressed more formal than what he usually wore, and the princess realized then that he was ready to stay for the ball that night. She blushed when Kristoff leaned in and kissed her cheek softly.

"Thank you," she said breathlessly, listening to the mute drum her heart was playing. She stole a glance towards the cliff, but the mysterious man was nowhere to be seen. She pushed it to the back of her mind and turned to Kristoff, only to find him bowing towards her.

"Princess Anna of Arandell, would you do me the honor of accompanying me to the ball that's being held tonight with the motive of your birthday?"

He was so serious, and absolutely charming, that Anna's face broke into a huge smile and replied with a courtesy of her own, "I would be delighted."

Then they broke into laughter and held hands. "You've been practicing, haven't you?" Anna finally asked after a few moments of comfortable silence.

"Well, I don't want to look like a fool, or to make _you_ look like a fool. I also learned how to dance, so that I don't step on your toes tonight," he proudly stated, beaming at her. And even when Anna wasn't that sure of her feelings, she couldn't help but think that maybe Kristoff was _the one_, without meaning to, of course.

The rest of the day they spent together, until Anna had to return to the castle to change into her party gown. A few hours later, Queen Elsa stood in the middle of the ballroom with all the guests standing on the sides as they waited for Princess Anna to descend the big staircase. They didn't have to wait long, for soon they saw Anna in her beautiful pink gown, which was especially ordered for the occasion, coming through the stairs. Her hair had been combed up in a beautiful coronet made by a braid, and she was holding herself completely fine. Of course, that's now how she really felt.

When she reached Elsa, the ball commenced. Kristoff had the honor of having the first dance with her, while Elsa took the hand offered to her by a duke of abroad. During the party, Kristoff made sure to keep the suitors well away from Anna, letting everyone know that the one courting her was him. On the other hand, Elsa was a very attractive woman, queen and single; which meant also an attractive prospect for all those men who wanted to marry. Even when she didn't want the attention, the queen didn't want to appear rude or to start diplomatic complications because of something as trivial as ball, and yet she made sure to only dance once with each of them. By the middle of the ball, though, she was already exhausted. She caught a glimpse of Anna, holding hands with Kristoff, chatting amiably with other girls her age. She was so happy, that immediately Elsa thought everything was worth it…

Until the door slammed open with a strong, cold wind, and on the threshold stood the very same pale man Anna saw descending from the sky. Up close, he was even more attractive, and he was obviously a magnet for discreet, and no so discreet, glances from women and men alike. He entered royally, with his cape following his trail, and leaving behind him… _frost?_

"Who are you and what is your business in this land?" Queen Elsa asked stepping in front of the crowd, face-to-face with this stranger of pale skin and hair. Oh, and did I mention his startling blue eyes?

"I've come looking for you, Queen Elsa, because we are to get married on the winter solstice," the man drawled with such an indifference and boredom, that it was hard to believe he actually meant what he said.

There were collective gasps, especially from the girls; there were disappointed sighs of the men, who wanted the queen for themselves; there was an itchy Anna, who had a bad feeling of the man; and there was a very red in the face Queen Elsa, who didn't know if she should kick that man outside of the castle or burst into laughter in his face. And still, his eyes spoke of seriousness, even if that also meant a deliberately cold detachment he did not make the effort to conceal. Taking deep breaths, the queen spoke again.

"And who, pray tell, are you to burst into _my _palace, in _my _kingdom, to crash _my_ ball and announce such an outrageous thing?" she demanded, letting a little anger show in all the forced politeness she had to show in front of her guests, who practically were the entire kingdom.

"I am the prince of the Winter Court," he bowed deeply. "And my name is Jack Frost, _my lady_."

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**So what did you think? Love it, hate it? Love _me_, hate _me_? I'm sorry! That's an awful cliffhanger! Next chapter I PROMISE he will appear more, so please don't kill me now, or else you'll never know. From this point on, the story has become mine; that doesn't mean that I own the characters, but instead that I won't be using anymore of Frozen's canon to follow it. I haven't decided yet how much of ROTG's canon I am going to use, but there'll be some more characters of it. I hope you stay tuned for the next chapter, and I really hope you post a review to tell me what you thought of this chapter. I did review this one before posting it, which is something I didn't do with the two before, so I hope the number of mistakes has decreased. Now, replies:**

***FirePrincess96: Are you happy? I've uploaded! Now, I really hope you don't murder me tomorrow, and if you realize, I corrected the mistake you pointed me out. ;)**

***** **Ally0404: I'm so glad you like it! I'll try to update within a few days, as soon as I finish the next chapter, and I also wish you a very good day!**

***** **EriNeglop: So today we have more of selfish Jack, what do you think of him so far? Thank you so much for supporting this story, you have no idea how much that means to me!**

***** **Acinorev17: Thanks! I hope you liked this chapter too!**

***** **Cailidevel: You and your fangirling! Don't kill me please! If you kill me, you'll never know the ending of this story, right? If I'm not mistaken, you're going to like him even more in the next chapters, and later own his mischievous side will appear. Just give him time ;)**

***** **HopelessRomantic183: Thank you for your review! It's nice to know that some people do read the author notes, so thanks for that too. How do you like this chapter? Was it up to your expectations?**

*******misa . ayuzawa****: I'm really glad you liked the story so much! I'll keep updating, don't worry about that! Thanks for your support!**

***** **Mischievous Little Owl: Well, you'll see soon enough! Thank you for the support! ;)**

***** **First Movement: Thank you again for reviewing! So here's the first meeting you've been wanting, even if it was just a brief glimpse. Next chapter it will be a whole lot more intense, but how did you like it? Or did you hate it?**

**So this is all for this update, I hope you like it and that you'll stick around. Thanks again to all those who put this story and/or me in their alerts and favorites, thanks to you I was all giddy yesterday. To all those new readers, please leave a review to let me know your opinions!**

**Until we meet again,**

**ClearEyes**


	4. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

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**Author note: Hello beautiful people! Today is the day of the next chapter, as you may have noticed. First of all, I'd like to thank my friend Cailidevel for the beautiful drawing she made of this story. Apparently, it inspired her to go back to drawing stuff, and she's been doing some scenes. Look for her on Tumblr! I thank you all for your incredible support; I expect you won't be disappointed with the next chapter. Please, ENjOY this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Here we go! (Replies at the end)**

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_Okay, so here are the facts_, Elsa frowned in thought while pacing the length of the alcove she used to work in State affairs. _There is a man who claims he will marry you, is that going to happen? Of course not! Then why is he still here? Am I even considering his offer? Yes, NO! I mean… This is so confusing. _With a groan, she plopped down on her chair while she drank some tea in hopes of calming her nerves and anxiety.

After he had muttered those words, everyone in the room froze (no pun intended). There were legends on the Winter Court, legends that were not pretty and usually made people quiver with fear. They originated the tales they told the children to get them to go to sleep, what those same children dreamed of when they said they had nightmares!

So, when he stated to be a prince of that court, and everyone recovered, many snickered and laughed at him. How could anyone believe in such fairytales? _Yeah, why believe in a Winter Court when they have _me_, Queen Elsa of Arandell with power over the ice and snow… wait!_

Effectively, her thought led her straight to wonder where her powers came from, and the morning after she had gone into her father's studio looking for anything he could've left behind to explain that which he left unexplained. For her it had always been as natural as breathing, but why? And why was she the only one?

But when some of the princes and dukes that also wanted Elsa's hand had challenged the man for her, the prince Jack Frost, with a flick of his hand, had froze them in their place by creating a coat of ice around their feet. That made the audience draw gasps and exclamations of surprise, but also of outrage. This made clear he was not a human being, or if he was, a clearly powerful one. Elsa's hands trembled in anxiety; only of thinking what this could mean to the spectators, what they would think and report to their own kingdoms… because of this man, Arandell's reputation could go astray in a matter of weeks, if not days.

The prince, Jack Frost, had wanted to take her right away to his palace in the south, but she refused thoroughly. Instead, she managed to turn things around so that they would meet in court to _discuss_ the issue.

"What's there to discuss?" he had said, nonchalantly. "You're parents made a deal, and I've come to collect. Yes, dear, you are the _prize,_" Jack Frost said with a strange, possessive glint in his eyes that didn't promise anything good.

Queen Elsa shuddered. Just the thought of someone like him, who could act indifferent and bored one minute to completely lunatic the next without looking crazy at all! His pose, his stand, it was obvious that he felt himself above everyone else; even Queen Elsa, which meant that he really did see her as a prize. _But why did he choose me?_

There was a shy knock on the door, and peering in came Anna. "Elsa?" she hesitantly asked. The queen nodded and the princess stepped into the room with her. "Are you really going to meet him today?"

"Yes," the queen said, resigned.

"And are you going to marry him for real?" she said fearfully and, Elsa could tell, on the verge of tears,

"Of course I won't! Anna, why would you ask me something like this?"

"Even if he threatened to hurt me or the kingdom?" she asked again and this time the queen halted.

She had not thought about that at all and that had been reckless. Of course, if said Jack Frost threatened to hurt someone she loved or her beloved kingdom, she would oblige. He could corner her so easily, that the simple thought scared her. She had nothing against him, because even if she relied on her powers, if Jack Frost is the _prince_ of the infamous _Winter Court_, his powers must be greater than Elsa's, and if she fought, he could take hostages. She was already cornered, and that's why said prince looked so _smug_!

Indignation and anger burst in her soul; how _dare_ he manipulate the situation so that she would be _forced_ to accept an engagement she did not want, but making everyone believe she did want?! She groaned again and a whimper attracted her attention back to Anna; her gaze immediately softened.

She rose from her seat and embraced her little sister, who was shaking for a reason unknown to the queen. It could be nerves, it could be fears, or everything combined. The point is that Anna didn't want to lose her sister, but above all, she didn't want her sister to be unhappy. She didn't want her to make sacrifices that would make her miserable for the sake of everybody else.

"I'm going to do what I must to protect you," Queen Elsa said after a while. "I won't let him hurt you. I'm sorry if your party got ruined."

The princess backed away from her sister in shock, true horror shown in her face. "What? No, no Elsa, I don't fear for me. I fear for you! I know you are going to do whatever it takes to keep your home safe, even if it makes you unhappy," Anna said through the tears. "My party was perfect, it didn't get ruined at all," she added, but the queen could see the white lie on the eyes of her little sister. She sighed.

"That's what a queen must do, Anna. We don't know what kind of powers he has, but his might be greater than mine. I don't want to be responsible for starting a war, and if I can do something, anything, to keep the peace in Arandell, I will."

With renewed tears, Anna exited the room in a sprint, leaving Elsa to wonder if it was after all the right thing. She did not want to leave Anna either, but once her selfishness had brought immense grief and danger to Arandell, and the queen was not about to let that happen again. Sitting down again, she got lost in her thoughts.

* * *

She exhaled an exasperated sigh and finished her tea. Standing up, she grabbed her crown and cloak. She usually left them behind, because she didn't want to look imposing with the petitioners, but with this man she wanted to look very imposing indeed. No one dared to speak to her like he did and get away with it; else the kingdom might think she was weak and try to take advantage of that, same with other diplomats of other kingdoms. Taking deep breaths to calm her raging heart, she made her way to the throne room. There was also the small fact that Jack Frost's strategy of trying to corner her was very plausible, another nagging thing in her head was that he had mentioned a debt of her parents. Why hadn't he heard anything about that up until now? It all seemed very suspicious and everything pointed against her. She saw no possible way of winning, and yet she would not stop trying.

When she entered, the audience turned to her with expectant looks. If they had usually a large crowd witnessing the events that transpired at court, now it had doubled in size. Or tripled? Anyway, it didn't help Queen Elsa get her bearings. When she was settled on the throne, with her upper body tense and rigid, the guards opened the doors to the public court, but instead of it swarming with peasants and other royalty to consult with her, only one man came in.

The despicable man called Jack Frost.

Again, he bowed before her once he was before the throne, but she had the feeling he did it merely because of the etiquette they required. He didn't seem to care, as if nothing, even bowing, could take away his superiority. He also walked with the airs of someone who knew was going to win, and that thought alone sent an unpleasant chill through her backbone.

She also noticed that the temperature in the room had decreased considerably, like an aura emanating from the prince himself. She shuddered when she saw the trail of frost left by his feet, and again wondered what the real extent of his powers was.

"Your majesty," he said in a monotone voice that reeked of indifference and superiority that he believed he had. In acknowledgement, the queen nodded her head. "Have you had time to think over the subject?"

"I have," was her curt reply.

"And what are your conclusions?" Jack Frost asked with a smirk, as if knowing the answer, which he probably did. She realized that he was driven her towards agreeing in a seemingly pacific way, and she had no idea on how to stop it!

So, she said what she thought on the matter plain and clear, "I have no desire of marrying anyone at the moment."

His smirk widened. "I don't believe you have a choice," he stated and the change in atmosphere, to slightly tense and awkward to having everyone on edge, was obviously notorious. Elsa stole a glance sideways and she could see Anna once again trembling with muted sobs, trying to keep her tears at bay, while Kristoff looked at her worriedly and apprehensively; then his eyes shifted from the queen to Jack, then back to Anna, several times. Her attention shifted back to _his majesty_ Jack Frost.

"I do believe you have to explain what you mean by such bold statement," the queen simply replied, prompting his smirk to keep on widening. It wasn't even a straight smirk; it was a sideways, full of not-so-innocent mischief, smirk; which held much more meaning that anyone on that court room could decipher. He started pacing the length of the room parallel to the queen, so that she could always see him. _Oh, how much fun he was having_.

"It all started many years ago, when the queen of Arandell could not carry a child to full term. The royal couple then asked for help, an ancient help that the trolls could not give, and so they made a deal with Mother Earth herself," there was a collective gasp and Elsa had to do her best not to shoot some ice into the mouth of that _royal prat!_ He was talking about her parents, and he was not ashamed of badmouthing them, making them look like fools. She could not allow that, especially in front of Anna.

"Enough! I demand you show some respect to the court your standing on," Elsa everything but yelled, making all the witnesses flinch at her tone. Only Jack Frost kept his smirk plastered on his face, and the queen had to contain herself from blasting him across the chest. He raised his hands in mock surrender, before continuing his pacing and his story.

"Long story short, then, Mother Earth promised them a remedy so that the queen could carry the child to full term. She needed elemental magic, which is the most natural type of magic in the world, which we the seasonal spirits have. She asked everyone else before us, can you believe it? She wanted to avoid asking _us_ because she _knew_ the price we demanded. And still, when everyone denied her petition, she had no choice but to come to the Winter Court. Have you ever wondered why your magic is over the ice and cold?"

The last question, again, make everyone react negatively. In a silent agreement they had agreed not to talk about the queen's abilities in front of this stranger, in hopes they could use the surprise as their ally. They thought wrong. Even Queen Elsa had tensed, because she _knew_ as well as she knew how to walk that she _did not_ mention her powers _ever_ in front of this prince of ice. _And yet he knows!_

The prince smirked once again. "Surprised that I know? You shouldn't, because it was _me_ who gave the magic so that _you _could be born."

Directing nervous glances around her, the Queen deemed it proper to stop the court session and to continue addressing the issue in private… with all the risks it might have. She stood up. "The court is dismissed, the session is over. _Your highness_, if you were so kind as to follow me, we are finishing this conversation in private."

Without making an effort to hide her indignation, she did not even turn to see if Jack Frost was following her because she knew he was; if the cold was anything to go by. Strolling into her father's studio, she waited for said prince to appear. She didn't wait long.

"Did I offend you, my lady?" he asked in mockery, with his everlasting grin on his face.

"Of course you didn't; you didn't just humiliate my deceased parents in front of their people, you did not just make insinuations to humiliate and undermine _my_ authority in my own court, and you did not just said many private things into the air," she said as calmly as she could, trying too to use a mocking tone.

"I thought it was a public court and that you wanted to know my motives. Everything I said is the truth, which is what is required to speak out loud in such events," he said, suddenly indifferent again and… bothered? _He dared to look bothered?_

"You could've requested a private audience there, claiming that it was because you had personal information you did not wish to divulge," the queen exclaimed, raising her voice more than necessary, and composing herself as much as she could afterwards.

"And miss my chance of putting a good show?" he snorted. "You humans are just so predictable," he replied while looking at his flawless nails.

"So you were mocking me, my parents and my court there; weren't you?" she accused, for which he just laughed.

"Didn't we come here to address another matter?" he diverted the topic effectively, which just infuriated the queen more, who was now red-faced with contained anger. She would so definitely go to the mountains to blow some steam when this mess was over… _if it ever is over_, a nagging voice reminded her that she pushed back. She thought about how to continue, but her voice was filled with so many questions…

She chose, then, to ask the question that most bothered her, "what do you know about my powers?"

"Everything," was his quick reply. "The same magic that I have courses through your veins." As if to prove a point, he touched a nearby window, which immediately got covered in frost. Elsa tensed again.

"Why did you help my parents?" she then asked, the next question in her list, while she still tried to order her thoughts.

"Because I wanted a bride," he said again looking bored. "I don't know if I'll live forever, and I want to ensure I have someone to succeed on the throne I now possess."

Again, indignation flared up in her and she huffed unroyally. "Do you have proof?"

There, she'd said it. If he did, which he most probably did, she was screwed. But with the way he looked at her, as if she was speaking another language, she knew he didn't have anything. He prompted her to explain.

"My parents died a few years ago, and they never mentioned this supposed deal you claim they made with Mother Earth and, therefore, you. So, you must have some proof about what you're claiming if you expect in the slightest for me to _consider_ your offer," _if that can be considered an offer, because he was demanding marriage after all._

The confusion in his face made it clear that he had not contemplated this, and that, at least for now, she was safe. She had won this battle, although the war was far from over.

"I regret to say that I do not possess a proof, and I'd also like to add that I feel deeply offended that my word isn't enough," her eyes had turned steel cold and all trace of mischief and mockery was gone. He was angry, and for the first time, Elsa felt fear towards this mysterious prince.

Queen Elsa took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and looked at Jack Frost in the eyes, defiantly. "I invite you to come back as soon as you have something to prove what you're saying to be right. Until then, you are no longer welcome in Arandell," she declared, knowing she was making a _very_ bold move, but also knowing that it was the only way with which she could prove to this smug prince in front of her that she would not go down without a fight. It would teach him not to underestimate her, and maybe even reconsider if he wanted her as _his_ queen, which was what she was rooting for.

She saw a cold rage in his eyes before the windows burst open and a cold wind engulfed the studio. Papers flew everywhere; everything flew everywhere, actually, making Elsa raise her arms as a shield, which made in turn a thin layer of ice surround her to block the objects from hitting her. When the wind subsided, the studio was a mess, and Jack Frost was gone.

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**So what did you think? Did you hate it, did you love it? In this chapter we got to see more of the personality of _this_ Jack Frost, and I know he seems like an a** right now, but believe me when I say that he gets better. He has all his background story planed out and he's had it kind of complicated, but that you'll know later on. Please, leave a review to tell me what did you think about this chapter! Now, the replies:**

***ForeverDelighted: I'm so glad you like this concept! I know it's different, but browsing through the fandom I saw very similar FanFics and none of them grabbed my attention, so I decided to go for a completely different thing, which is this! The drawing of the cover was made by a friend of mine who really liked the story and she decided to draw some scenes; this is one of them that will appear later on. I would really appreciate if you'd leave another review on this chapter to tell me what you think!**

***Otakugirl 13: I know, I also have lots of homework and here I am, writing to my heart's content. To answer to your question, yes, Jack is going to be completely different from the Jack we all know and love. BUT he'll eventually change, but to see how you'll have to stick around ;).**

***First Movement: Yes, there's going to be a lot of drama!**

***MarianaThamiris: I'm so glad you liked! Thank you for reading, and of course I'll continue.**

***Zejo: Yes, it's going to be something like that, although I think I'll add it a different touch. I hope you enjoyed this chapter****J****.**

***EriNeglop: So, did you like this chapter? There's more of this cold Jack in here, what did you think? Later on you will find out Mother's Earth intention and the plot will be untangled little by little!**

***TamaChi-Neko: I'm so glad you liked it! Here goes the update! ;)**

*** : Me da mucho gusto que te guste, y sí, lo sé, medio difícil de creer que Jack pueda caerle mal a alguien. ****Pero no importa, va a mejorar!**

***FirePrincess96: Hey, so here's your update to help you relax! I hope you did well on your exam, and I hope you liked this chapter. I bet I surprised a few with this twist I gave it. I also checked this episode more than once, so I hope there are fewer mistakes :D.**

***Snow Rubies: Well, I'm not going to wait a week, I'm not a patient person. I hope you liked this chapter and I hope you're enjoying the story! I'm working really hard to surprise all of my readers!**

***SilverRain0: Well, yes, the whole idea of this story was of writing something different in more than once sense. I hope you bear with this Jack a bit, because I really hope that as the story goes on, and as the readers get to know him through some hints I'll be giving, that you grow to like him better.**

***Prinzzez Kitten: I'm so glad you liked it! Thank you for your honest review, I'm really glad that you see the changes that way! I believe that change is refreshing, as hope you do to. The story will start taking shape from this chapter onwards, and I hope to pick up the pace in the next chapter. I've already written much!**

***harrypotter1998: Wow, you have many questions and all of them are valid, so here are the answers: there is a king of the winter court, he'll be introduced later on around chapter 8 or 9; there is no queen though, and there's an explanation for that which I'll reveal also later on; Mother Earth is based on the tales of Guardians of Childhood, the books from which the movie was based on (Rise of the Guardians, of course), and I can't answer more specifically, I'm sorry, because I don't want to give away spoilers.**

***Lizzy19090: Thanks, I'm really glad you like it. What did you think about this chapter? Was this the reaction you were expecting from Elsa? ;)**

***Bigby the Big Bad Wolf: I'm really sorry about leaving the chapter there! But I hope I balanced it with this chapter, so I really hope to hear your opinion on it.**

**Here's everything for now, I hope all of my readers stick around and start falling in love with this story (in fact, I think I'm in love with it!). To all the new readers, please leave a review if you can because I'd love to hear your opinions on this story so far.**

**Until we meet again,**

**ClearEyes**


	5. Chapter Four

Chapter 4

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**Hello beautiful people! I hope you're having a nice weekend, and that you're all very happy! For all the females reading this, Congratulations on the International Day for Women! We rock, don't we? I'd like to thank all and every one of you for the support you've been showing towards this story. Now, ENjOY the next chapter! (I so should not be uploading this today when I have an important test on Monday but, meh!)**

* * *

"So he left, just like that?" Anna asked for the thousand time to Elsa, while they were cleaning the studio after Jack Frost unleashed his fury.

"Yes, Anna, he was just gone," Elsa sighed exasperatedly. Even if he was not in the palace anymore, or even the kingdom, the cold fury he saw cross his eyes scared her. She decided she did not want to have him as an enemy, although she feared it might be too late to have him as an ally. He would come back, Elsa was sure.

"And did you kick his butt?" Anna the blurted out, and the utter ridiculousness of that idea snapped the queen from her meditative stupor.

"What…?"

"Is that why he left, because you kicked his butt and threw him out?" asked the eager princess once again, and Elsa couldn't help but snort.

"Of course not; if we were to battle with our powers, I'm pretty sure he would kick _my_ butt," when Anna was about to retort something as crazy, Elsa held her finger up. "You didn't see what I saw; you didn't feel what I felt. He is very powerful, a force that could destroy Arandell if he wanted… and I think I just pissed him off enough to do just that," she averted her gaze from her sister and kept on retrieving papers, quills and books.

After a few minutes of silence, Anna spoke up again, "So you think he'll come back," she wanted to ask, but it came out more as a statement; a very _true_ statement.

"I don't think so; I _know_ he'll come back. I asked him for a proof, which he didn't have. But what angered him more, I think, is when I ultimately told him that without proof he wasn't welcome in Arandell anymore. I literally shut the door on his face," she explained, earning an approving glance from her sister.

"You did what you had to do; he can't expect you to just throw everything away and agree to a marriage you don't want," Anna nonchalantly commented. _But he did expect me to_, Elsa couldn't help thinking. Then, among the disaster of papers, book, and quills, Elsa found a small leather book that seemed old and worn out. She opened it, and her eyes widened in surprise.

"Anna! Look!" she called, attracting the princess' attention to the little book.

"What is it?" she asked, somewhat confused.

"It appears to be a journal, and it also appears to have belonged to our dad," Elsa replied with an excited smile etched onto her face. _I might now find out something about my powers, see if what Jack Frost claimed is really true._

Anna's own grin widened and she tried to take the journal from her sister, but Elsa wouldn't let her. She opened it, protecting all the while, and allowed Anna to see something. "Elsa, I want to see too!" the princess pouted.

"All in due time, dear Anna; I must make sure that there is nothing too improper for you to read," the queen made up as an excuse, which ended up not being such a bad idea. After all, it wasn't only the journal of her dad; it was the _personal _journal of a _man_. The meant there could be stuff that the princess wasn't ready to read. "Tonight, on supper, I'll let you have it."

"Really?!" Anna's pout changed into excitement. "Oh, thank you so much!" she exclaimed while she resumed her task of tiding her father's former studio.

Elsa knew that if she wanted to read what was written there, to possibly find out the origins of her powers, she could not be next to Anna, as much as she loved her little sister. So, she needed a diversion… "Anna, didn't you have to meet with Kristoff in a bit?" she tested her grounds.

"Yes, but we're going to dine together, so I can stay here a bit more," she replied without looking up from where she was tidying books in a shelf. _Dang it!_ Elsa cursed.

"Well, shouldn't you go pick up the dress you're going to wear?"

She appeared thoughtful for a minute. "Not really," was her simple reply.

"Are you _sure_?" Elsa pressed, and Anna finally realized that Elsa didn't want her _there_ at the moment. Maybe it was the tone on the voice of the queen, maybe it was the pleading in her eyes, but the princess realized and relented.

"Actually, I do have something else to do. You don't mind if I leave now?" Of course, Anna didn't want to embarrass her sister by letting her know she knew she wanted her gone. Although the relief was obvious in Elsa's face, she didn't point it out.

"No, no, I'll be fine," was the hasty reply of the queen and Anna smiled. Later on they would talk about it, when the queen had calmed down a bit. Anna might have been the little sister, but she was not blind. Elsa was edgy, tense and stressed; and all because of that stupid Jack Frost that came to ruin the pacific life they led. Anna could see that the queen was scared, if not of the guy, of the consequences this encounter might bring for everyone. With a light wave and laugh, Anna left the queen to her own devices in the untidy studio.

When the door closed behind Anna, Elsa sighed in relief and promptly plopped down on the chair behind the wooden desk; there, she opened the worn out book that belonged to her father…

Before closing it again. For a minute she doubted; she was about to pry into the private life of her father. She knew what might be written there, she really didn't want any details, but she felt the urge to know about her. He must have written something, anything, concerning her powers; she just knew it. So, bracing herself and taking deep breaths, she opened the book and started looking for what she wanted to know.

She avoided the parts where his dad talked about his problems, private life, love life; she _carefully_ avoided when her dad mentioned her mom and the 'things' they loved to do. She had look through more than fifty pages when she finally read something that interested her.

_February 1__st_

_My wife and I have been looking for help, but all the healers tell us that is impossible to conceive if the mother isn't ready. They also tell us that there's a chance she might never carry a child to full term, and that if she ever does, she might be putting her own life at risk. I want to have a child, if I'm honest, but I don't want to lose her. I don't know what I'd do, and I'm not sure this is such a good idea, after all…_

She stopped; despite her curiosity, in that day he hadn't written anything about 'trolls' or 'Mother Earth' or anything of the sort. She needed to respect _his_ privacy, because what was written in her hands was something he probably never told anyone; maybe except her mom and that in rare occasions. So, she flipped a few pages and finally she spotted the word 'trolls'.

_February 10th_

_Today my wife broke down in tears after she found out she had lost another baby. She had been so excited, and yet so afraid. She pushed me away and believed that I would reprimand her for not being able to carry it full term… it's not like it was her fault. She already fell asleep, she's been really tired. My last hope is to find the trolls that inhabit the forest and figure out if they can help us; they know very different types of ancient magic and maybe that is what she needs to carry the baby: a bit of magic. I don't know the cost, though, but I'll do everything in my hands if it means we can have a baby. If they can't help us, then we'll have to resign to the fact that we might never be parents._

Elsa let her eyes roam over the page, thinking about some time his dad's hand was the one touching that same page, scribbling down his feelings and thoughts. She held her tears; how she wished she had got to know them better, without the pressure of her powers on top of them. She turned the page, believing that on it she would find exactly what she was looking for… she wasn't wrong.

_February 11th_

_Today we went to meet the trolls. The forest is a maze! We believed we weren't going to find them, but eventually we arrived at this beautiful clearing full of bundles of rocks. Turns out those bundles of rock were the trolls. We then met the elder, the leader, and asked him to help us. Our disappointment when he said he couldn't… but it didn't last long, for he then introduced us to quite a character: Mother Earth herself. She promised she would help us, but she didn't say when or how, just that she was going to leave a vial nearby when the queen had conceived. When I asked her the price to pay she just said that we would know when the time came, and that honestly is something that scares me. As someone educated in commerce, I know that it is unwise to strike deals without knowing the real price to pay; but to deny my wife the child she craves so much? The son or daughter we both want to have so much? I couldn't find it me to be objective, and so we made the deal; only time will reveal to us if what we did was right or wrong._

Elsa turned the page over, but she found the king was speaking of business, diplomacy, some ambassadors that were coming, a feast they were going to hold, but nothing on Mother Earth, Jack Frost or even the trolls. _That's it?_ She wondered while feeling a little cheated. All right, so they did strike a deal with Mother Earth, but who's to say that the magic she gave them belonged to Jack Frost. _Well, I suppose then it belonged to some fiery being because you have powers over the ice and snow, right?_ A voice inside her mocked her, and she snorted. _Why would Jack Frost help my family? He said he wanted a bride, but I can guarantee that there are females where he comes from, so why choose me?_

She needed a way to get _out_ of that mess, not to sink deeper in it. But with what she found, the only thing she was certain of was that she had made a mistake. Jack Frost had been truthful about her parents, about her powers and, apparently, about the deal. She would need to go through with the wedding, but if she was going to get married to _him_, she would do it on her own terms.

* * *

As the days passed, Elsa grew quitter and thoughtful. Jack Frost hadn't shown up and that put her on edge. She had made a resolution in her mind. When he came back to Arandell, she was going to apologize. She was going to say she was sorry about her behavior, that she had never been told of her origins and that she shouldn't have treated him so harshly; that in hopes of dissuading him of doing _anything_ to her kingdom or the people in it. Then, she'd say that she had thought about the wedding and that she was willing to marry him, because he was not going to breach that topic before she did, under certain conditions. The first one would be not to harm Arandell, of course; the second would be that she'd have a private chamber to call her own because there was no way she was going to be sharing room with _him_. She would also demand that she could return to Arandell certain times a year, not to cut ties with her sister completely.

In truth, no one knew about this strategy but her. Not even Anna or Kristoff. She had retrieved the journal that belonged to her father and had read again thoroughly the parts that concerned her. She even found another one, in which his dad, completely exhilarated, had written how the vial had appeared that morning in one of the windows of his chambers. He was going to be a father! Even when it didn't speak much about Mother Earth or the deal, she still found it nice to hear her parents had been so eager to have her, to meet her. She'd then decided to keep the journal, for it was something nice to remember her parents not as the king and queen, but as human beings like her, with worries, fears and doubts.

Although she couldn't help but think that other entries were plain useless; one does not register every minute of every day what the _baby_ is doing! She had read and stopped midway of an entry that talked about how she babbled in her sleep, how she ate, _what_ she ate, how she laughed, how she grabbed his hand, how she made a fist…UGH! It could be a bit annoying… no, actually, it was really annoying.

Those thought led her to think once again about a family. She knew she wanted to get married, but the circumstances were so _extreme_ and unappealing that she resented fate a little bit. Her thoughts took a less than pleasant turn when she thought about _after_ the wedding. The consummation, when she'd have to… do stuff with _her husband_ –how she hated that word –things that she didn't believe she was prepared to do with just anybody. She also knew she didn't have that much of a choice, but she could postpone it for as long as she wanted. If he ever laid a finger on her, there would be hell to pay. Her powers may be no match for his, but she would do everything she could to keep herself sane and pure. That's right; he would never _force_ her to do anything she didn't want to do. She might have been a woman, but she was a damn stubborn one.

One or two days after, she was filling paper work when she decided to take a walk through the gardens. There, she found Kristoff and Anna sitting in a bench, holding hands and talking. She could tell the topic wasn't one of happiness, and she didn't have to be a genius to know they were talking about her; she knew Kristoff would take care of her sister when she had to leave. Unlike Hans, he was a good and honest man, who didn't see Anna as royalty, but as an inexperienced girl that had a very big heart to share. That made her smile.

Going back on her tracks not to interrupt the lovely couple, she took another path. Suddenly, the air grew chilly and she halted her tracks. She felt someone behind her and she didn't have to look to know who that was. Squaring her shoulders and straightening her gown and back, she turned to see not one, but two beings standing in front of her.

One of them was the very pissed looking Jack Frost, who had a very deep frown on his forehead. Next to him was a woman, tall and slim, with waving long black hair that fell through her back and almost reached the ground. She looked mature and old, despite her young appearance, and her aura inspired respect. The woman and Jack Frost made a courtesy, the later very much against his wishes, and Elsa returned it. From what he had read from her father's journal, she could tell who this beautiful lady was.

Said lady spoke, with a soft melodious voice that resembled the singing of a bird, "do you know who I am, child?" she asked.

Elsa smiled at her a polite smile that didn't reach her eyes before replying, "Pleasure to meet you, Mother Earth."

* * *

**This is it for today, guys! What did you think about this episode? I really hope you liked this, because I've been changing it a lot trying to keep every character as they really are (Jack being the only exception). I must say that I'm a bit worried, because I so not want to disappoint you, so please comment on what you thought of this chapter. Please, don't flame me! And now, the replies to my wonderful reviewers:**

***** **Otakugirl 13: I don't want to think you see a sadist love in there, because I really don't want to make Elsa suffer. My idea of the love that will come between them is that somehow **_**he**_** will have to **_**win**_** her heart, but first they have to get over the bad impressions they have of each other.**

***** **Zejo: That's the idea, of showing Elsa strong and confident, which is why I believe her story (this one) will have a happy ending for her.**

***** **strongyu: I'm really glad you like it! And yes, I'm trying to update at regular intervals, giving me time to write, review, rewrite, read and then upload ;)**

***** **PeppyXY: Thanks, I'm glad you're enjoying it so far.**

***** **AffyRainbws: Thanks! I'm doing my best!**

***** **First Movement: Thank you, I work very hard on that! If I'm not mistaken, you might grow to hate **_**this**_** Jack, until he can prove worthy of you love once again; Arandell will not be left without a queen, of that you can be sure!**

***** **EriNeglop: Thank you! I really appreciate your support to this story! From now it's going to be a whole battle of wills between those two, who will win?**

***** **anna rutter: Thank you! I'm actually quite proud of the pace the story has; for some it might be slow and tedious, but if I want **_**his**_** character to be believable, I can't really rush things. That, though, makes everything a little harder for me, because I am not patient at all.**

***** **KamryMcBride17: Thank you! I'm really glad you like this! I've been working very hard to make **_**this **_**Jack, it's nice to know that you and all of my readers like him so much. I know it's very different, but that was the whole point.**

***** **HopelessRomantic183: I'm so glad you're enjoying the story so much. I know it's sounds repetitive, but I really love when my readers like what I write. Your reviews really make my day; what did you think of this chapter?**

***VK: Thank you so much! You don't know how happy it makes me to read your reviews. I'm also really touched that this plot has seemed interesting enough for you to actually read and wait for it!**

***** **ForeverDelighted: I'll let her know what you thought of her drawing, I'm sure she'll be really happy! Thank you for all the support you've been showing towards my story!**

***** **Prinzzez Kitten: THANK YOU! And not only because you read and review and support me, but because you've SEEN RIGHT THROUGH HIM! I was afraid I had changed him so much that his true essence would be lost, but apparently it's not. He's like an onion, with many layers. Thank you again!**

***** **FirePrincess96: Em… yeah… I hope your axe is broken and that you have no ammunition for any of your guns. And I so hope I don't see you on Monday because I know you are going to kill and torture me… I'm too young to die!**

***** **Zerlinda: Well, technically Jack wasn't there in those moments, but I will try to write something from his perspective later on that will probably appear on the following chapters. I'm happy that you like this story, and I hope you stick around a bit longer.**

***** **Bluefire407: Well… yeah, pretty much.**

***** **glee131313: Yeah, and he's still going to be like that for some chapters, I hope you don't mind.**

***** **Bigby the Big Bad Wolf: You are the only one who actually gives me things to think about! After I read your review I read the chapters I had, and guess what? I had to change some of them precisely because of what you pointed out. I so not want to give the idea that Jack is able to hit a woman, so I'm sorry if the chapter made you uncomfortable. Your reviews are always welcome and appreciated, thank you!**

***** ** : Me encanta tu entusiasmo, y me alegra mucho que te esté gustando esta historia! Espero que este capítulo también te haya gustado, y que te haya mantenido en el borde de la silla ;).**

***** **rokusan23: I swear that was not my intention, but thanks!**

**And so, here finishes the reply section. I hope you liked this chapter, and that the end wasn't that much of a cliffhanger. I'm glad for all the support you've been showing to this story, in reality is that which fuels my inspiration! To all those who _just_ added the story to their alerts, to their favorites, even some of you who added _me_ to your alerts and favorites, thank you so much! I never thought this story would be this appealing, and I love to see your positive reaction towards it.**

**To all those new to the story, thank you for clicking on it and reading through all the chapters; also, for those who take time to read this extensive author notes, thank you also.**

**Until we meet again,**

**ClearEyes.**


	6. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

* * *

**Hey guys! Sorry for the last cliffhanger, I couldn't help it! Thank you all who reviewed and added this story to your alerts, you don't know how happy that makes me. I've been feeling really tired, but I blame that exclusively on the flu. I hate being sick, but I'll guess I'll just have to deal with that. That won't interfere, though, with the updates. I must say that again I'm a little nervous about how you might react to this, as I always am because I still can't believe so many of you have read and liked this story. I really don't want to dissapoint you. Now I'm blabbering, and you don't want to read that, so on with the story! ENjOY!**

* * *

Jack Frost was angry.

He was supposed to have an easy day, picking up his wife-to-be, only to have been kicked out. Also, little miss stubborn had _demanded_ a proof that he did not possess because Mother Earth made a mistake, or an idiocy, and did not ask the royal couple for a guarantee. No seal, no ring, no necklace, no scroll, and apparently, no telling-our-daughter-her-origins either. He was not supposed to be outsmarted by a twenty one year old mortal princess, and for that he was fuming.

Also, the fact that he had to go looking around the globe for Mother Earth, only to find her in a place too warm for his comfort, and to ask her the _favor_ –more like demanding her to finish what she left undone –of accompanying him to Arandell to deal with the queen. She had laughed, hard, over ten minutes, and Jack had to listen to all of it _and_ the speech she gave him after. She was never going to let him live it down, especially when both of them tended to live _very, very_ long lives.

So when he saw Elsa of Arandell strolling through the gardens, he did not see a gorgeous woman, nor did he see a worried girl, nor did he see a beautiful yet young lady with a heavy charge on her shoulders; no, he just saw the person who had humiliated him and made him do something he had not wanted to do at all. He glared, cursing the queen. She had to become _his wife_, whether she liked it or not, and Jack would make sure she understood that. He was not going to be outwitted by a _mortal_.

"Having second thoughts, Jack?" Seraphina asked him, for which he just huffed angrily.

"As if," he muttered, and just then did Queen Elsa realized they were right behind her. She composed her posture, straightened her back, and turned towards them with a slow deliberation and certainty that Jack found amusing. Her face was unreadable, but she looked confident and smug. The winter prince had to resist the urge to groan in annoyance: she was never going to go easy on him, would she? She also seemed to know exactly who she was talking to, which surprised him greatly; that was not the reaction someone _just_ had for Mother Nature.

Both of them bowed respectfully, even when he really didn't want to. But Mother Earth wasn't only the mother of the entire planet; she had to be the Queen of Manners too, right? Elsa gave a courtesy of her own, with a smug air that just wouldn't leave her and Jack found that really annoying. She was not acting according to anything he thought she would! She was supposed to fear him, to bow before him, to beg him not to harm her or her people before submitting her life to him. But no, she wasn't doing that. This female _human_ was… different, to say the least.

"Do you know who I am, child?" Mother Nature asked politely but commanding, trying as Elsa was to impose her will over the other. But this girl wasn't like they thought at all, and even Seraphina would end up surprised by the end of the evening. Elsa's attitude made Jack lose his willingness to make a witty retort or some kind of joke like, _you wanted proof, there you have it!_ Because she was taking everything so… so… well? Well for _her_, not for _him_. He glanced at Seraphina, but her expression had become unreadable. That meant that she was serious.

Elsa raised her chin prudly and answered, loud and clear, although respectful of the authority before her, "Pleasure to meet you, Mother Earth. Follow me, please, we have much to discuss."

Mother Earth and Jack Frost followed her into the castle, the former making herself invisible to the human eye as she was very prone to do. She was never one to like being stared at by humans; they were so judgmental. And curious, but usually they didn't listen the answer to their questions, instead jumping to their own conclusions. And so, she usually avoided all contact. What made her humble before the late King and Queen of Arandell, he would never know.

This time, Queen Elsa didn't lead them to the place Jack had almost destroyed on his last visit. Instead, she led them to a smaller one, more private and with a window to the see. Jack had to admit, it was a priceless view. _Focus!_ Once the queen closed the door, Mother Earth became again visible. Queen Elsa had brought beverages, some fruits and nuts, as well as some sweets. She had been expecting them, and for quite a while if her expression betrayed her.

Jack could tell she was nervous, but that she was trying very hard to overcome them and achieving it quite impressively. When she made sure her _guests_ were comfortable enough, she grabbed her own cup of tea and sat behind a huge mahogany desk with a small book on top of it. It was very old, probably of some twenty years in the past. _Why would she have that here?_

"Welcome to Arandell, Mother Earth, I must say it's an honor to meet you. My father didn't fail to describe your beauty," Queen Elsa took the word, as the good hostess she was. Seraphina was surprised, which one could tell didn't happen very often, but she disguised it well.

"Thank you, Queen Elsa, but I was told that your parents died long ago and that they never mentioned me. After all, that was an oath they took. So how come you know who I am just by looking at me?" she asked, curiously but somehow pissed. She was being _outsmarted_, currently being played by this woman. If she hadn't been in the receiving end, she might have applauded her attitude, but currently she didn't sympathize with the girl at all.

Queen Elsa took the book in her hands, "well, after his _highness_, Jack Frost, made sure to make a mess of my father's studio, me and my sister cleaned up the place. We found this among my father's books; it's a journal, one that he wrote himself. So I researched on my own for sources that could confirm what the prince had said," she explained.

Mother Earth raised an eyebrow, not because of the journal, but at the fact that she made sure to accuse Jack of something he did. It was never heard of, but she knew how to play her cards; Jack never mentioned to her having wrecked any studio, "and what were your conclusions on that _research_?" she made sure to emphasize that word.

Queen Elsa licked her lips nervously, but squared her shoulders and took a deep breath, "I have to apologize because I was too quick to judge the situation, but you can't expect me to take lightly such news I didn't know about. In this journal my father does mention the encounter he and my mom had with you, and he mentions the vial; which leads me to believe that there was, indeed, the use of magic," she stopped, considering her next words. The atmosphere was tense, expectant of what the queen would say next. "It didn't mention where the magic came from, though, so I have no way to confirm it came from Jack Frost."

He snorted; loudly, attracting the attention of both women. He could've sworn she was doing everything just to bother him, and his bad mood was escalating. "Then explain to me, _my lady_, why would I say half the truth?"

She smiled softly, with a hint of irony, which made his blood boil (no pun intended), "because, as you claimed before, you want a bride that could give you an heir."

_Oh, how he despised that woman!_

"Very true, indeed," Mother Earth said appreciatively while standing up, "which bring us to the reason I've come here in petition of Jack Frost himself! I am here as the proof you need to keep your parents _vow_."

_That stung!_ The vow of a king was law, unbreakable; now that she had played that card, if Elsa refused in any way to the previous deal her parents had made with her, she'd be dishonoring the code of honor and probably declaring war. How to get out of this one? Elsa gulped loudly.

"I imagined as much," she said, "and I assure you that I will keep their word of honor."

Again, Mother Earth's expression turned skeptical, "so you're willing to go on with the wedding?"

Elsa nodded, suddenly feeling very nervous, "I will, but I feel with the liberty of demanding a few conditions."

Jack's face contorted in sudden anger. _She dares!_ Mother Earth kept her face expressionless, although her stiff posture betrayed her. She was pretty pissed by now with this matter.

"And what are your conditions, _my lady_?" Jack asked, glaring all the while, and this time Mother Earth allowed him.

Elsa looked intimidated, but that wasn't enough to stop her demands, "first of all, you must not harm Arandell or its subjects in any way, even if I'm not here; second, as I suppose you're going to take me to some kind of _residence_, I ask to have my own private chambers; and, thirdly, it would be very kind of you to let me visit this place once in a while. I want this to be clear, I'm going to be his bride, not his prisoner, and I expect to be treated as such," she finished proudly with her chin raised.

Jack was fuming, but Mother Earth blocked him from actually taking a step towards her that might be the start for hostilities. "As you wish, Queen Elsa, I'll personally see to it that it's done," she replied and bowed curtly, making Jack bow with her. With a glance towards him, he knew what she wanted him to do, so he commanded the wind to open the window. They walked towards it and before exiting they turned back towards an astonished Elsa. "We'll come to collect in a week, I hope you're _ready_ by then, _your majesty_," and then they both leaped into the air and vanished from sight.

_Two battles, how many more to come!_

* * *

As soon as they left and Elsa was sure they weren't around, she closed the window, the curtains and she plopped down into the floor. If she was honest with herself, she felt completely overwhelmed. She replayed the conversation thousands of times in her head, and with each time her dread increased. She had agreed… she had agreed to marry Jack Frost… she had one week left in Arandell… Before she knew it, she had begun to cry.

There, where no one would see her, or hear her, she decided to cry for the last time; to let out all her regrets, her pain, her sudden feeling of hopelessness, because she had sealed her fate.

After some time she stood up, wiped her face from the tears and went to her chambers. The sun was beginning to set, so she changed into a more comfortable dress and, with a cloak on, headed outside of the castle and of the village. She went to the mountains, where she blew off steam with her powers. She built amazing things, all of which she destroyed to be rebuilt again and then destroyed once more. When she finished she was panting and sweating. She realized that some of the figures looked strikingly familiar to a certain winter prince, and with morbid satisfaction she realized she had destroyed most of them with powerful blows from her hands. _If only it were that easy_, she thought, before putting her cloak back on and going back into the castle.

That was one _big_ mistake. When she arrived, the whole place was in chaos, directed by none other than her little sister. She groaned and rolled her eyes, annoyed, before she realized that it was probably one of the last times she'd see her in a very long period of time. That thought brought new tears to her eyes, but she swallowed them and braced herself for the impact of Anna's worry.

It didn't take _that_ long. As soon as she saw Elsa, she yelled everyone to a halt and they turned their eyes towards their queen. Most of them sighed relieved, and then left to do whatever they were doing before her sister summoned them. In the end, only Elsa and Anna stayed in the big throne room with a thick silence between them. Anna's face was the personification of worry and confusion, Elsa's was an unreadable mask. Finally, Elsa moved to pass by Anna and go to her room; she needed to rest from that awful day.

"Where were you?" the princess asked tearfully when Elsa was by her shoulder.

"I went to the mountains," Elsa replied softly, not trying to sound harsh because she didn't want to scare Anna away. She couldn't afford that.

"Why?" she asked then, "you only go there when you're upset, what happened?"

At the memory of the reunion with Jack Frost and Mother Earth, she spat with all the disgust she could mutter, "Jack Frost happened," at that, Anna let a sob escape and Elsa turned surprised. "You knew?"

Anna looked at her sister sheepishly before nodding, without meeting her eyes. "Some guards saw him with a lady arriving and came to report to me when they couldn't find _you_. I thought he had done something… I thought he had taken you away from me," she confessed and started to cry earnestly into her hands. Elsa woke from her reverie and hugged her sister tight. The princess was really upset, she kept muttering things like "I thought you were gone," "… never see you again…" and "so scared" among many others that honestly broke Elsa's heart.

She was going to leave, and when she did, she would hurt Anna very much. Elsa led her distraught sister back to her chambers, where both sat down on the bed. They didn't need to talk, they knew many things just by looking at the other.

"You're going to leave, aren't you?" Anna broke the silence, Elsa nodded, and they felt silent again. "It's not fair," she then added.

"I know," Elsa complied.

"Then why don't you hide? Why don't you run away?" Anna then pleaded with more tears in her eyes, but Elsa shook her head and looked away.

"I can't, I must honor the _vow_ our parents made, or else I would be bringing terrible dangers to Arendell," Elsa tried to explain and Anna chose that moment to snap.

"Forget about them! I knew you would do anything to protect the kingdom, but you shouldn't need to sacrifice your happiness, your entire life!" the princess exclaimed and finished with a sob. Elsa sighed and hugged her again.

"You know how politics work, Anna; this is a sacrifice worth making if it keeps you safe," Elsa said truthfully and held her little sister while she cried her eyes out on her shoulder, until the princess fell asleep.

_I don't want to leave either_.

* * *

Jack Frost arrived at his palace made of pure ice with Mother Earth in tow. He went straight to his personal alcove and she followed him. He was completely furious and felt very humiliated. "Why did you agree to her terms?" he asked after pacing the floor for a long time, his long cape following his steps. He kept running a hand through his hair, showing how stressed he felt.

"It was the only way we could leave in relative _peace_ with Arandell; she was expecting us and played it very well, I must admit," Mother Earth declared patiently, knowing that when Jack was in one of his moods, not even her could keep him under control.

"Maybe, but now I'm supposed to oblige to her petitions. That way she's going to feel like she can step all over me," he complained raising his hands in passionate motions that denoted _raw_ anger. Outside in the plains, a huge blizzard had started in reaction to his mood, not like he cared about it.

"You can bend her words, use them against her," Mother Earth suggested. "I also have an idea to get back at her where she will hurt," she added and that got an appreciative glance from Jack.

"Speak up," he prompted and Seraphina was happy to do so with a sly smile on her face.

She walked to one of the many shelves full of books, taking her time to answer and rejoicing in feeling Jack's eagerness to know. Sometimes she regretted what his father had done to the boy, but other times, like this, she thought it was pretty convenient; "well, no one said we had to pick her up during daytime, right?" she rhetorically asked and Jack answered with his trademark sideways smirk.

* * *

**So, this chapter was meant to show a little bit more on Jack's insight of things, how he personally reacted to some of the stuff that happened previously. Let's be clear, this is not Jack's POV; it's more as if the narrator had focused his attention to him. Because of that, the first part might be a little repetitive, but I felt it was needed so that you, my beautiful readers, can understand _this_ Jack Frost better.**

**Now, on with the replies:**

***VK: Thank you so much! I really love you enthusiasm, and I'm very grateful for your support. Eventually in due time that question will be addressed again and answered, don't worry about it ;).**

***manh: Thank you for the support, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

***** **K-chan's Kisses: Thanks for the support, hope you liked this.**

***** **First Movement: I'm so glad you liked the last chapter, how did you like this one? Mother Earth on this has a major role in this chapter, which I hope you enjoyed, and about the mortality of Elsa you'll have to wait to later chapters.**

***Alexis Knight: Thank you! I hope you like this chapter.**

***** ** : Thanks for the support! I hope you liked this.**

***** **Zejo: Hey, high five! Now I've got the flu and I hate it! I rather have it on weekend so that I don't have to suffer on high school.**

***** **AffyRainbws: Soon you'll see the Winter Court I imagine. There **_**is**_** a barren wasteland of ice, but it wasn't always like that. Jack lives in a huge Ice Palace that I'll describe on later chapters, and he's mostly alone.**

***** ** : I'm going to reply in English because I don't want the language changing in the word processor. I'm really glad you enjoyed the last chapter and I really hope you enjoyed this one.**

***** **FirePrincess96: So… what did you think? The only thing I can say right now is 'please, don't kill me'. If you do, you'll never know the end of this story ;).**

***sunnys: You gave me a fright over there! I really thought you had disliked the chapter. I was so relieved when I read the rest of it, though. Thanks for the support!**

***AliceInNeverland: Thank you, I'm really glad you enjoyed this. If you look closely you can see the Jack we all adore inside, especially on this chapter (I hope).**

***** **HopelessRomantic183: Thanks, I hope you liked this chapter and that Mother Earth's character didn't disappoint you.**

***** **harrypotter1998: Thank you, I'm glad you liked Elsa's character!**

***ForeverDelighted: Hey, thanks! I believe most of your answers have been answered in this chapter, if not please ask them again and I'll do my best to answer them. I'm really happy you're enjoying the story ****J**

***** **Bigby the Big Bad Wolf: I also want to make it believable, because I too have read those kind of stories that rush too fast into their relationship. This one has a slow pace, I can already see that from the chapters I've written. What did you think about this chapter? Please review again.**

**And so it ends, this chapter of course, and I hope that you all enjoyed it. Thanks to all those new readers who have added me and/or my story to their alerts. I received some new reviews in some of my other stories but I haven't had the time to reply; don't worry, I've read them and I am really thankful for them.**

**Until we meet again,**

**ClearEyes**


	7. Chapter Six

Chapter Six

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**Hello guys! I must say you're the most amazing people in the world! I can't believe you like this story so much, I'm really happy! So here something new will happen: we see for the first time the Winter Palace, which is where Jack Frost lives. When I refer to the Winter Palace is more than anything about the place, whereas Winter Court, in my mind, is everything that's not the palace but it's in it. I don't know if I made myself clear, but I hope you understand what I mean once you start reading this chapter.**

**Also, I mention somewhere here a locket, and some of you might think it's the one Elsa's wearing during her coronation (even if that one is _not_ a locket) in the film but it's not, this locket is completely made up by me. I'm sorry, but before I realized that in the movie she had worn one I had already written this piece.**

**Also, please don't hate me! I hope you ENjOY this chapter, the story is going to start unfolding and developing nicely from here on. This has been revised by me and corrected (what I could find, at least) so I hope you don't find silly mistakes in here like the one about "sealed her face" and such. I expect you won't find that, correct me if I'm wrong.**

**Thanks for all the support you've given this story, I really didn't think it was going to be this popular or appealing to you. I'm really grateful and happy to everyone.**

**Happy Friday!**

**P.s. Thank you also for those who mentioned something on my flu, I think it's almost completely cured and I'm feeling so much better! (I'm sorry if this sounded lame -.- )**

* * *

The week passed too fast for Elsa's comfort. After her sister had fallen asleep, she had returned to her chambers to get some sleep herself, only to find it escaped her. She was worried, and her chores had easily duplicated because she needed to delegate a new kind of government while Anna reached her coming of age. She was still too young to be a queen, but as she was next in line, Elsa would personally name her such.

The thing was Elsa hadn't had the heart to tell Anna she only had one week left. She wanted to tell her, she really did, but her gaze full of sorrow always stopped her. She felt like a coward. Wouldn't she hurt more if one day she just disappeared? Like when Elsa had gone to the mountains?

Her happy and cheerful sister had a very hard time trying to conceal her sadness, and every one noticed that. Kristoff had been honestly shocked and worried, especially when she had asked him to have a small talk with her. She had earnestly asked him to take care of his sister; she would need his support every step of the way. She would grieve, she would be sad, and she would have to assume her new responsibilities. And Kristoff had to help her through all of that.

"I know it's a lot to ask, but I wouldn't trust her to anyone else. I don't wish to make that a royal decree or something like that, for this is a more personal request, and I know how deeply you care for her," she said when she finished explaining.

Kristoff flashed Elsa a sad smile, "is there really no other way to fix this? Do you really have to go?"

Elsa lowered her gaze to her lap, where her hands were playing with an old locket*. "I can't do anything else; at least that wouldn't spark hostilities or threaten the kingdom. This forces aren't to be reckoned with, we really don't want them as enemies," when Kristoff face seemed to comprehend she added, knowing he would listen, "I think I already have them as my personal enemies though."

His face scrunched in confusion, which prompted her to explain, "I openly challenged Jack Frost, twice, and I think I also challenged Mother Earth in a more indirect way;" the queen sighed, "either way, I think I didn't make them happy, because I took control of the situation instead of them," again her eyes fell on the locket. "I have something else to ask of you, Kristoff."

He looked up at her and stared into her eyes, just as she stared into his; she was so glad Anna had someone like him on her life, he would help her, "what is it?" he asked.

She showed him the locket, which was round and golden, with a beautiful red rose made of rubies embedded in the lid. Inside there was a small portrait of their mother, who owned the locket before Elsa did, "I want you to give her this," she handed Kristoff the beautiful jewel, "it belonged to our mother, and now I want her to have it."

He was honestly puzzled, "why don't you give it to her yourself?"

Elsa shrugged, thinking if it was wise to reveal what she wanted to do… she decided to do so after a few minutes in silence; after all, he would be all Anna would have for a while, "you have to promise you won't tell Anna anything about this conversation, until the day I'm gone," she said staring straight and serious into Kristoff eyes.

He, taken aback by the sudden change in mood, only nodded, a little curious and eager to know what the queen would tell him. "This is a jewel meant for queens; it was passed onto me when my mother died. Now I have to pass it on to her, but she doesn't know I'll name her queen," she started to explain, to be interrupted by a question.

"But why doesn't she know? It's obvious that if something were to happen for you to leave the throne, she's the next in line," he tried to piece two and two together.

Elsa smiled softly, "I wish she had your logic," she muttered softly, then shook her head, "I believe that in a way she knows, but if she were to admit it as a fact, she would already be assuming I'm going to leave. I guess she's just in denial, she hasn't accepted that soon I won't be queen anymore," she finished with a sigh.

Kristoff nodded in understanding and accepted the locket, twirling in his hand, "how soon?"

His question startled her, "pardon me?"

"How soon until you leave?" he repeated.

She thought for a second, "They told me they would pick me up in a week," she told him and he was about to sigh in relief when she added, "and that happened four days ago, which means I only have three days left."

Kristoff groaned, but couldn't bring himself to be annoyed, "why are you telling me all of this now?"

"Because the day before I leave I'll hold a public assembly and I wanted you to know, so that you can be there for Anna," she explained truthfully before rising from her seat. "I shall take my leave now, much paperwork still to be done," she joked but none of them laughed. Kristoff didn't reply, but instead just stared at the locket, apparently lost inside his thoughts, so she started to walk away. Before she reached very far, though, she turned around and called him. He was startled from his reverie, prompting Elsa to smile a real smile for the first time in days, and told him what she needed to say: "Thank you," and then she went back to her private alcove.

* * *

Two days later, the queen summoned her people for an urgent, public assembly that would be held in the courtyard of the palace. The queen stood on her balcony, back straight, shoulders squared and her face serene; just like she was taught. Next to her, a few steps behind, was Anna. She had her head bowed and was failing to conceal her distraught emotions, unlike Elsa who had learned how to do since she was very little.

When Elsa saw enough people standing before her, she deemed it proper to begin. "People of Arandell, I've got important news to share that concern us all," she began in a clear, loud voice, and everyone felt silent; even the buzz of a fly could be heard. As you all may have heard, a few weeks ago we received an unexpected visitor that caused outrage and confusion. It is in my place to tell you, that the words he spoke that day are the _truth_," there was a collective, surprised gasp that erupted from the crowd, Elsa raised her hands to placate them and soon there was silence again, "therefore, I am here to announce my resignation to my rightful place on the throne of Arandell. I have had great pleasure in being your queen, and I surely regret not being able to stay further; this is done as a diplomatic act of peace towards Jack Frost, and in honor of a promise long made by my parents."

The crowd roared in anger and indignation; some of it was directed to the unknown and mysterious Frost, another part to the queen herself, and some was just randomly thrown at everything and everyone. This time, Queen Elsa had to make a greater effort to get her people calm enough to listen again. Her mask of concealment was doing its job right, for everyone failed to see the hurt reflected in her eyes.

"Don't let my leaving be a hindrance to your daily lives; the throne will not be left empty. In my place, Princess Anna of Arandell will rule when she comes of age and aided, for the time being, by advisors the same advisors who taught me," she grabbed Anna by the wrist and propelled her forward to stand right next to her. Anna's face was the portrait of surprise, before it turned into one of angry resignation; her eyes were puffy red and her cheeks were blushed, but she managed a poker face while her sister presented her as the new queen. _As the new queen!_

Once that had been said, the queen turned to the scribe to confirm he had written everything for future accounts of that day; it was still a royal decree in some way or the other and Elsa would ensure it was followed. The people of Arandell weren't happy with this turn of events, but they'd have to deal with it; the most miserable of all, though, was Anna. Once they were out of the balcony and inside the castle once again, Elsa turned to leave. Anna gripped her wrist tight to stop her. The queen had to say she was surprised about her strength, but she didn't comment on it; instead, made her face unreadable.

Anna was scowling at her. "_Why?_" she all but yelled; "why did you name _me_ the next queen? Why didn't you consult with me, _ask_ me if I even wanted this responsibility?!"

The queen didn't bulge nor flinch, but she answered with her most serene face, one that showed understanding but also unyielding will; "Arandell needs a ruler, and as next in line it is your _duty_ to take the throne. The advisors have already been told, and they will start with the lessons as soon as I'm gone; that's what _I've_ ordered. They will be a temporary authority while you can fully assume the throne when you come of age in a few years; they are dad's most trusted men, and mine as well," was her soft reply, trying to appear neutral and unbiased.

Anna's scowl deepened, "but I don't _want_ to be queen!" she complained. Elsa inwardly thought she was being childish and ridiculous, throwing a tantrum just because she was honestly _angry_ that Elsa would leave… which was completely understandable, given the circumstances, but that could not continue.

"No one asked _me_ either," Elsa then replied to a fuming Anna, while freeing her hand from the princess's grip. "And still I assumed the responsibility because it was, and still is, my duty. As daughters of kings, we have many privileges that come together with things that we _must_ do that are better for the _common good_, even if we don't always like it."

Anna's face contorted in anger, and her expression became much fiercer than it was with just a mere scowl, "is that why you're leaving, then? Because it's _your duty_ to be unhappy, because the common good of your sacrifice will be… what, Elsa, what will be the common good of _this_ sacrifice?" Anna yelled at her sister, surprising Elsa greatly. The queen had never, ever, heard Anna raise her voice like that, not even when she was coaxing her into leaving her room to play. Anna rarely got angry, especially at Elsa. "In fact," the princess continued, "what good will _any_ of this bring? Have you thought of _that_?"

Elsa swallowed, feeling as if Anna had stabbed a dagger deep into her soul. "You don't know what you're saying, Anna," the queen breathlessly tried to reply past the hurt she felt by her sister's words.

Anna wasn't done, though, "what I _do_ know is that I don't want to be queen; I don't want to take _your place_ in the throne, and I surely don't want you to _leave_ me again! But you don't _care_ about what I think, or _feel_ for that matter; you don't care enough to ask my opinion on anything you do. The most important thing to you is keeping your duty and showing a pretty, controlled face in front to everyone," Anna kept saying, attacking her sister with hurtful words she didn't really feel, unloading some of her resentment and anger towards the _wrong_ person. But at that moment, Anna also wasn't thinking; she wasn't seeing the pain in her sister's eyes, she wasn't considering if Elsa _wanted_ to leave, if she had _ever_ wanted any of this at all.

So, to avoid doing or saying something she'd regret, Elsa turned away and headed to her chambers, barely able to keep her emotions in check. It was one thing to hear hateful words from people, but from her _sister_ it easily hurt tenfold. "Yes, turn your back on me, turn your back on everyone and runaway with _Jack Frost_," Anna spat when she misinterpreted Elsa's retreat, which made the queen halt on her steps.

"Do you think I _wanted_ this? Do you seriously believe that I want to _leave_ my _home_? I didn't ask him to come for me, Anna, you don't know anything about what you're saying… and what's worse is that you're not even trying," she replied in a low voice, not finding the strength to do anything else, while her eyes clouded with tears, her back towards her sister; "maybe I should've told you, but anyone would believe you already knew just because you are _my sister_. No matter how much you want to escape this, Anna, some things just never change." Then she resumed her walk towards her chambers without waiting Anna's reply, sprinting away from the lonely hall where they had their first strong fight.

Once she was inside, she ordered the guards not to let _anyone_ in and she locked the door. She paced her room, fighting to regain control over her swirling emotions, but failing. _She's just angry; she doesn't want you to leave; she's afraid, being queen is too hard_; Elsa kept repeating in her head until she couldn't hold it in any longer. She cried, she froze a window, a pillow, a chair, and she cried before collapsing on her bed completely exhausted.

That was the last day she'd be in Arandell for a long while.

* * *

Just as Jack Frost promised, the next day he arrived in Arandell with Mother Earth. No one saw them arriving and no one would see them leave, because it couldn't be two hours after midnight and everyone was sound asleep. Commanding a very strong wind, Mother Earth burst open the window to Elsa's room, where they both found her fitfully asleep. The sound, though, startled her awake and she looked around her room to find the source of the noise. She couldn't see anything, and blindly she tried to reach for a candle to light. She never could, though, because from behind Jack Frost threw her a ball of golden sand, and before she knew what had happened, she was asleep again.

However, she wasn't the only one awakened by the noise in the queen's bedroom. There was a knock on the door. "My lady, is everything all right?" a male voice called, probably one of the guards. Jack Frost then wasted no second before slinging the limp queen across his shoulder, as if she were nothing more than a mere bag of potatoes. He was walking to the window to leave, but he didn't realize of Elsa's dangling arms, with which she managed to drop a very beautiful and seemingly expensive vase onto the floor, where it broke into a thousand of tiny little pieces; the sound it made didn't go unnoticed. Another apprehensive knock, but this time the princess's voice came from the other side of the door, "Elsa, are you okay? Can you please open this door?"

Thinking that the silence was unsettling, the guards probably alerted the princess, sister to the queen of Arandell. Jack Frost had only seen her once, when he went to court and he identified her because of the apprehensive looks the sisters shared from time to time. He had not planned on being caught, so he hurried to the window, where Mother Earth kept throwing impatient looks at him.

His plan was almost perfect, but the people outside the door were a little bit faster than he; the guards broke the door in time for Anna to see Jack Frost escape through the open window with her unconscious sister slack across his shoulder. "Elsa!" she yelled, but it was too late; the prince had disappeared into the night taking the queen of Arandell with him. She stood on the doorway for a long time looking at the empty room that belonged to her sister, before falling to her knees in disbelief and shock. Those moments would haunt the princess in her dreams for years, because the last time she saw her sister, she had been unconscious, when they had last talked, they had a fight, and what was even worse, neither got to say goodbye.

* * *

Jack arrived with Elsa to the Winter Palace near the South Pole a few hours later. He had waved goodbye to Mother Earth when they had flown over the equator, both of them satisfied with the success on their mission. It wasn't as if the queen didn't know they were coming; what was true, as well, was that they never specified how and at what time of the day they'd pick her up. Toothiana, the last warrior of the Sisters of the Flight, a feathered fairy with a kind heart, ever so faithful to Jack for reasons he couldn't comprehend, was waiting for him and saw the new arrival with a spark in her eyes.

"Is it her?" she asked, softly as not to wake her, while she marveled at the beauty of Elsa, the future _Winter Queen_.

"Yes," an indifferent Jack Frost replied while dropping the unconscious lady into one cushion while he hung his cape in a hook on the wall. A servant, made of ice, then brought him a drink, which was so cold it had a tiny coat of ice on the surface; _great, just as he liked it_, "could you please take her to the room we prepared for her?" he asked her while settling down on a soft, velvet chair he had placed near a window and grabbed a book.

Tooth was surprised, "don't you want to be with her when she wakes up? She's probably going to be confused," she suggested and Jack huffed.

"That's not my problem; I flew all the way to Arandell and carried her back here. I think I've done enough," he replied while he opened the book and resumed reading where he had left it off the day before.

Tooth nodded silently, a thoughtful look on her face, before she ventured to ask, "are you sure this is what you _want_, Jack?"

He looked at her puzzled, "of course it is; there's no reason not to proceed."

She looked uneasily to the floor, "do you really want to get married?" she then rephrased her question, in case she had been ambiguous.

Jack snorted, "What's with you and all your silly questions tonight? You know the answers as well as I do," he replied and turned his back to her, before muttering in a very low voice, "you know as well as I do that what I _want_ stopped being important a long, long time ago."

Knowing she wasn't going to get anything else from Jack, Tooth carried the queen to her chambers, where she slept the rest of the night and most of the next day.

* * *

**WARNING: VERY LONG AUTHOR NOTE AHEAD!**

**BEFORE you hate me, I have to say that I know a lot of you might be upset about how things went between Anna and Elsa, but don't you worry, Anna will be just fine. This is not the last time she'll appear in the story; I have something bigger planned out hoping everything will run smoothly. NOW that I've explain myself, how did you like this chapter? Did you like it, hate it? Please, leave a review to give me your opinion because I really appreciate your comments. ALSO, regarding Mother Earth, I also believe that she left a bad first impression on you, but let me explain that later I will write more about her. She's not _evil_, but she's also _not good_; if you don't understand now, don't worry, later I hope to clear the waters around her a bit.**

**Oh, yes, I almost forgot (JK); the replies:**

***** **Rinhearts: Thanks, for the review, what you said in it, and your wishes on my health. The flu is better, I hope, and I'm really glad you liked this story! I can promise more exciting things will come soon.**

***VK: Wow, that was a really looong review. I can't say I'm not pleased, though, you spoke about it with so much feeling. Thank you for sharing your opinion, I'm glad you like the way I write (forgive my mistakes, my native language isn't English) and I am so much more glad that you really feel like that about this story. Regarding your p.s., the least I can do is reply and show the people who read and review that I really appreciate they take their time to read, judge and then post a nice comment or critique. I also hope you liked this chapter!**

***First Movement: Don't worry about it, I love long reviews! I believe later on I'll develop more into Mother Earth's character, because I don't consider her _evil_ or against Elsa. It's just that they're practically strangers, and obviously she's going to stick to Jack instead of her. I'm working on that, so don't worry about it; all will be answered in due time.**

***aycaramba: Thank you, I'm really flattered you think like that!**

***ForeverDelighted: Hey! Remember me? I do! I swear I just stumbled over your name suddenly on Tumblr and I just knew it was you. It's funny if you think about it! Btw, I'm so sorry you had o go back to your laptop, I hope you didn't arrive late because of me to wherever you had to go. If you love drama, then I can assure you there's more ahead and I really hope it'll be of your liking. Thanks for following the story and showing your enthusiasm, it makes me really happy!**

***raining ripples: I'm really glad you liked it; thank you also for your recommendation. I think the problem with last chapter was that I was kind of in a hurry and I wasn't feeling well, so I uploaded it without checking for mistakes. I hope you found less on this chapter and that you enjoyed it.**

***FrostSapphire: Thank you, here's the update. Although I believe there's still some time missing for the wedding to take place, I'm sorry if I take long on it. Btw, just as a hint, the fanfic won't end on the wedding ;) .**

***Otakugirl 13: Thanks for your support; I'm really happy you like the story!**

***Reynagirl: Thanks, I'm glad you like it. The flu is almost gone by now, thanks for your concern****J****.**

***Brickgirl101: I promise all the mysteries will be solved in due time. I'll explain Jack's personality, as well as develop more into Mother Earth's character. Another important character will appear later which I hope will make you understand what _this_ Jack has really gone through and _why_ he is like this.**

***HopelessRomantic183: Wow, another really long review! I love those! I must say, did you somehow steal my laptop? I've had that written for days now and you just guessed it on your review! I'm surprised, and a bit shocked; but well, it might just have been a bit of luck ;). The other part of your prediction, I'm afraid, isn't entirely true. Jack isn't mean because he wants to be, and he isn't just looking to make Elsa's life impossible. You'll see later what I mean, though I hope this has calmed your spirit somewhat. Btw, you'll also get a bit more of feisty Elsa!**

***Zejo: I feel you, but I thought it would be a nice touch. I'm glad I could cheer you up a bit. Thank you so much for your support.**

***FirePrincess96: Am… yeah, about that… I already corrected _that_ mistake and I trust it won't happen again. And… also… how about not killing me after this chapter? I think I would take up on that offer. Hehe, please don't be mad!**

***Bigby the Big Bad Wolf: You should know that you're the most critique of all my reviewers and I fear you the most because if someone will see a hole in the plot, that's you. I like your passion about the story, and how you always write what your thoughts are. So, to ease your concerns a little bit, no, Jack and Mother Earth won't make Elsa's life completely miserable; I know they seem _evil_, but what I want to reflect in part with this FanFic is that in real life there's no one completely good or completely bad. People are often misunderstood, and even when it doesn't justify them being an A** with capital letters, it does put things into perspective. I hope you bear with me while I get there, though, and that in the end you'll like the overall picture (or fanfic in this case).**

***glee131313: Thanks**

*** : Yeah, I wanted you to have the perspective of Jack, so that you can understand a bit _this_ Jack's personality and views on the world.**

***Bluefire407: Indeed, they are mean; but I wouldn't say they're evil. I would like to be able to let you believe that and just blow your mind away (or try to) on later chapters, but I don't want you to have the wrong idea. I hope that later you'll understand why I say this.**

***EriNeglop: I must say, your review arrived just in time for me to write a reply! I honestly don't know the _real_ name of Mother Earth, but I chose Seraphina because I've read many fanfictions in which that is her name. If you read another story of mine, I call her Leonora, which isn't bad. I believe that some liberty we have while writing FanFictions is that regardless of any _official_ claim, we still can _create_ our own characters and modify the story and it is still valid. I'm really glad you liked the chapter and just so you know, my priorities are so messed up that I should be studying for an IB biology quiz or doing my math homework but instead I'm uploading FanFiction. I feel you.  
**

***BlackasEbony: You literally reviewed just in time for the next update! I'm really happy you like the story so far and I hope you enjoyed this chapter just as I enjoyed writing it.**

**Now I owe you all a collective apology! I know I'm being very cryptic in the replies, but I don't want to spoil anything. Besides, it's a good way to try and keep your faith in this story. I promise I'm working very hard on every chapter to create a wonderful story full of drama; there won't be any explicit violence between Jack and Elsa. Actually, I think their relationship will bloom beautifully if I can accomplish what I have in mind, which I hope I can transmit. To accomplish that and that is seems believable I'm writing a lot of chapters, which means the story will take its own time. I don't want to rush things between them because then it loses the magic.**

**Apologies aside, thanks to all of you I've reached the hundred reviews and the hundred followers. I was so surprised that this story has reached so many of you and that it has touched you so much; I'm really happy and I hope you'll like the following chapters. I'm going to do my best to write every day to create a fresh plot that won't disappoint you. I just really wanted to say thank you!**

**To the new readers, as always, thank you for adding the story to your alerts and favorites even if you didn't review, although at some point I would really like to know your opinion. To the guests who I haven't properly thanked, thank you too because even when you don't have an account you're reviewing and that means a lot to me!**

**I've rambled a lot now, I'm sorry, I don't want to bore you. I just had to get that out of my soul because seeing you all so excited keeps me excitement too and fully inspired. Thanks again to all of you! If it's not too much to ask, I'd like to know your opinions on this chapter, so it'd be great if you could leave a review (and probably also to tell me to keep it short next time, I'm sorry).**

**Until we meet again,**

**ClearEyes**


	8. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

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**Hello beautiful people! Update day! I really should be doing my homework because tomorrow I must hand in two major reports, but I can't miss today's update. So, this author note will be shorter (and then you cheer). Thanks a lot for the support everyone has showed towards this story, and I hope you ENjOY this chapter!**

**P.s. I don't know if you can tell I'm nervous, but I am, so please don't kill me afterwards.**

* * *

Elsa woke up feeling drowsy and with a headache. It was like the first time she ever drank wine, and then she could barely stand the next day. The main difference, though, was that she could not remember drinking anything. The last thing she remembered was… was… what was the last thing she remembered? Oh, yes, Anna and the fight, the pain and the tears. She had to get up, apologize to her sister, say goodbye; Jack Frost would be arriving today with Mother Earth and she needed to be ready. She stretched on her bed, but she thought that the sheets were stiffer and colder; she also felt more breezes in the room, so she thought she had slept with her window open again. But wait, wasn't it still warm in Arandell? Why did she feel colder, then?

But then, as a flash, she remembered something else; it was like part of some strange dream. She was in her room, very late at night and very dark, and she was looking for something near her bed. Something she couldn't find but she knew she needed… a candle! Was that a dream? How else could she explain it? There had been also noises, ruffling and shuffling, weird noises that weren't meant to be there.

She opened her eyes slowly, only to close them again when the bright light blinded her. Her room didn't have such a bright light… She tried opening them again, to see above her a huge white ceiling that combed upwards. It was lined with beautifully crafted details of snowflakes, stripes that wanted to simulate the wind in a blizzard, so finely done that she had trouble believing her eyes. In the center of the ceiling hung a huge candelabrum with colored candles in it, candles that for some reason didn't bring Elsa any heat at all. The bed she was on was stiff, but the sheets were a beautiful lilac purple, with light blue and white patterns on it. There was a window on the far wall that reached from the ceiling to the floor with the clearest crystal she had ever seen. One thing was clear for sure: she was not in her room; in fact, she doubted she was even in Arandell.

She stood abruptly at that revelation and swayed on the spot, her vision swarming. She reached for one of the poles of the bed which she used to lean on. There she took deep breaths while the world stopped spinning. _Where am I? This must be dreaming, that's it, I'm just dreaming_, she repeated in her head over and over. Finally, a few minutes later she could open her eyes again and regain her straight posture; she could see better the dimensions of this strange room she was on. Next to her bed was a small bedside table with two slim drawers and on top of it was another candle, this time of a normal color. She neared to the wall to examine the crafting and, oh what a surprise, it was made entirely of ice! She would know, she made an ice castle herself! The furniture, though, didn't seem made from ice. It looked like wood, very fine and expensive, and she wondered just who couldn't have made such a thing. _Jack Frost_, a voice in her mind said and she gasped. She hoped against hope she wasn't where she thought she was…

Suddenly, a door she hadn't seed in parallel to her bed opened and in came what looked to be a lady, only ladies don't float a few feet above the ground, they don't have wings or multicolored feathers covering her bodies. Still, it was obvious that the creature was female. Elsa backed away, before squaring her shoulders and putting on her best mask.

"Oh, you're awake!" the lady exclaimed in a high pitched voice, "Good, the prince currently awaits you in the dining room," she then added with a soft, insecure smile.

The queen took a deep breath to stop from panicking, "where am I?" she asked in a demanding voice, not making any attempt of moving from her place.

The lady seemed positively surprised, "why, you're in the Winter Palace, of course," she said cheerfully, her voice raising another octave.

Elsa had to hold back her urge to gasp or do any indication of surprise or even outrage; she must always maintain her manners… even when she really wanted to kill someone right that moment.

"How did I get here?" Elsa asked again and again the lady looked surprise, which prompted the queen to explain, "I was in _my_ chambers in _my_ castle when I went to sleep last night, now I'm here, how?"

The lady paled considerably, "uh-oh, you don't… I mean, he said you'd… you mean to tell you didn't _know_?!" she all but yelled, panicking. That made Elsa realized that, despite this lady apparently being familiar with the palace and the reason the queen was there, she didn't seem to know anything else.

And then, Elsa snapped. _Damn manners, damn everything!_ "Where is the _prince_?" she spat, surprising the lady. Said lady didn't reply, but pointed to a direction, and Elsa was soon to exit the room and follow it. She was angry; no, she was furious! How dare he?! How dare he do something like _this_?! She didn't even stop to admire the beautiful sculptures in the castle, she didn't stop to watch the paintings or the crafting; she went straight to the so called dining room and she wasn't disappointed.

After a few twists and turns, following the general direction the lady had pointed to, and some encounters with dead ends too, she wound up before huge doors crafted, again, in solid ice. The door was adorned with beautiful snowflakes and curves, everything was extremely detailed, but again Elsa could care less. She opened them and inside she found a very, very long wooden table with beautiful dark blue velvet chairs. At the very end sat an indifferent Jack Frost, who was eating nonchalantly something that looked awfully delicious; Elsa paid it no mind.

While she walked, she thought; she understood then why she had a memory of her room in the dark. It had been _them_, sneaking in like thieves to _steal_ her! After all her efforts, she would've thought they were civilized enough to use the front door, or a window at least, instead of resorting to stupid tricks. And now, having _him_ in front of her, paying her no mind at all as if she wasn't anything but a mere wall, her blood boiled even more.

He was still dresses as she remembered, minus the cape, which she supposed he used for travelling only. She stormed up to him, stood right where she was sure he _could_ see her, and pointed an accusatory finger at him, "you abducted me," she claimed, her voice strained from trying to keep it low.

Only _then_ did Jack Frost looked up from his meal to stare, amused, at Elsa. "I hope you like the palace so far, _my lady_, I made Toothiana choose the best room we have _just_ for you," he mocked and resumed his eating with a satisfied smirk. Elsa would have none of it, though; she slammed her hand on the table, freezing everything near _Frost_.

"You abducted me!" she repeated, this time her voice did raise a little, which prompted the prince to frown.

"If I'm not mistaken, we agreed that I'd go for you a week later after out discussion; I never said when in the day or how," he retorted looking at his frozen food with childish curiosity. "Are you sure, _my lady_, that you want to use your magic against _me_?" he then added and, with a flick of his wrist, unfroze his food and mirrored her attack by freezing her _arm_ to the table.

Her face contorted in rage, and in one swift movement and a slight intervention of magic, her arm was free once again. She could feel his aura, but she didn't care. He wouldn't kill her because he _needed_ her, and she could use _that_. "You sneaked into my palace in the dead of the night, you and Mother Earth, like thieves. You knocked me out somehow and _stole_ me from my kingdom, and not even _you_ can deny _that_," she told him with a dead glare. If eyes could kill, Jack Frost would be no more, and such was the intensity of her glare.

Apparently, she had reached a sore spot, for Frost rose abruptly from the table and faced her with an unreadable face but annoyed eyes.

He lifted a finger, "you don't get to _insult_ Mother Earth in my presence; you know _nothing_ about her." He looked threatening, but something in her gut told Elsa he wouldn't really hurt her. She was right, as much as Jack could be detached and cold, he wasn't one in favor of hitting or physically abusing a woman. Not after what _he_ went through, so many, many years ago…

This reaction also surprised Elsa; she would've thought he would have felt insulted because of what she called _him_, but no, he felt insulted because of what she called Mother Earth. She never thought Frost would be _that_ kind of man, with the way he treated her and all. Still, those thought were pushed to the back of her mind when she realized _why_ she was standing in front of him in the first place. The tension was thick; it could've been cut with a knife.

She decided, then, to give the boy a taste of his own medicine. She snorted, surprising the prince, "oh, and I don't want to know her. I wouldn't want to be acquaintances with someone who would backstab me the first opportunity she got," Elsa smartly retorted and watched with great satisfaction how Frost's face showed anger. She shouldn't have, but she did. _Damn the consequences!_

His eyes narrowed dangerously, "it's because of her you're even _alive_," he said in a dangerously low tone, but Elsa felt so outraged he had brought up her origins and her hand acted on its own accord; before she knew what was happening, the queen had slapped Frost across the cheek with a the sound bouncing around the icy walls of the dining room.

His eyes had widened in surprise; never, and I repeat, _never_ had he been slapped by a woman, supernatural entity or not, and the entire irony of the situation made him snort in disbelief. She… did not expect that, and suddenly she felt a little scared; a sudden feeling of dread settling in her stomach.

Much to her surprise, though, the man just turned around and walked away. She would not make him lose his temper; she would not make him cross _that_ line. But apparently, just like Anna had done the day before, she misinterpreted his retreat. She wasn't thinking straight, then, when she blasted ice on his blind spot, hitting him directly and sending him stumbling forward. That did it!

He turned with a glare, "you claim _we_ backstab people, when you don't even honor the rules of an honest fight, what _exactly_ is your aim?" His tone was surprisingly low, controlled, which denoted just how he felt with the situation. She would not win, not now, not ever.

She didn't reply, though, suddenly scared and acting on instinct. She blasted more and more ice, created spikes that she aimed at him, declaring a challenge. He wasn't amused, though, and the fight was short. Elsa kept trying to corner him, but his powers being superior to hers, he would always block the attack. The queen, who had never been properly trained in combat, much less in a magical one, could barely dodge when her attacks rebounded. Then Frost got pissed off.

When an oncoming wall of ice from Elsa was trying to pin Frost to the wall, he decided he had had enough. With a stomp of his food, the wall cracked in the middle and he stepped through it. With a broad, yet simple, move of his arms in her general direction, a very strong wind rose that sent the queen propelling backwards into a wall; there the ice deformed to bind her hands and keep her from moving.

Then Jack Frost approached her, but she refused to back down, so she kept glaring at him. She knew she was vulnerable, but she was betting her stakes on the fact that he _needed_ her, and so he wouldn't _harm_ her. "I usually do not engage in combat with women," he spoke calmly, controlled, detached and cold, "but you're really getting on my nerves. I could _kill_ you, is that what you want? What's done, it's done. The deal was I would pick you up, and I did, and not even _you_ can find a way around _that_. You are going to stay here, whether you like it or not; no more games, no more tricks; this is a warning, so pay it mind, _never_ again challenge my powers; next time, I might not be able to control them."

With that, he exited the room and left Elsa alone; when he was out of sight, the different ice formations he had made came undone and returned to the places they came from. The wall returned to have its beautiful designs; the floor was as smooth. Her doings had also being reabsorbed into the castle, leaving the place empty of evidence there had ever been a fight over there. Free of her bindings, Elsa fell to the floor in a heap when her knees failed to hold her; she massaged her sore wrists while glaring at the place where Frost had left, the adrenaline still pumping wildly in her system.

_I'll never forget this, Frost; I will _never _forget this._

* * *

Jack Frost burst violently into his chambers, almost breaking the doors out of sheer force. How dare she?! She insulted Mother Earth, she _slapped_ him across the face, then she _challenged_ him to a duel she could not possibly win, what the heck was that girl _thinking_? Nothing, if the way he finished the conversation was any indication. No one had ever managed to infuriate him as the queen had; he had always been proud of keeping control in tough situations. Not when his father decided it was fun to humiliate him publicly, not when Groundhog thought he was a weakling, not when half the court had turned their back on him because he was _different_. He had always kept his control, his emotions at bay, until this infuriating woman had showed up.

A soft knock on his still opened doors told him Toothiana was there, and he sighed. Regardless what he said, she would still come in… He hadn't even finished the thought and he saw the feathered woman standing in front of him. He started pacing the floor, just to keep the feathered fairy from seeing his face; she would not leave, and so he glared at her after a few minutes.

"What now, Tooth?" he practically spat. She flinched, hurt clearly on her face. A part of him felt as if there should've been some kind of remorse, but his dominant part buried those feelings deep inside his soul.

She also overcame her emotions quickly, for soon she shot him a disapproving glare while looking sternly at him, "you never told me you practically _kidnapped_ the poor girl," she accused and Jack Frost rolled his eyes in annoyance. Just how many times would he have to deal with _that_ conversation?

"I did not _kidnap_ her, you're all overreacting. I honestly never told her when and how I would pick her up, which means I used the very same method _she_ used when she _demanded_ proof from me," he retorted, still pacing and with a frown on his face, "it's only fair."

Tooth huffed, "have you stopped to think that she might have wanted to say goodbye to her family?" she asked him.  
"She had plenty of time; she had a _week_," was his reply.

"And what about the fight in the dining room? You were supposed to _welcome_ her here, to let her know that this would be her _home_!" she exclaimed outraged, but Jack Frost snorted.

"So you were eavesdropping then," he commented, making the fairy blush madly.

"That's not what we're discussing right now," she avoided the question, "you probably just make her hate this place!"

His face changed, from a concerned frown to an offended look, "I am not the one who started the hostilities! She _slapped_ me! I was going to walk away, just like _you_ taught me, when she _attacked_ me," he snorted again, not believing he had been outwitted and outsmarted _twice_ by that _queen_.

"You did mock her, tough," Tooth replied and Frost huffed.

"I mock everyone," he said.

"But she doesn't know that," the always rational Tooth said and Frost cursed in her head. To that he had no reply, so he went out to the balcony of his room and stared at the mostly deserted plains that extended before him. He was always marveled by the view, even after all those years. His peace and quiet didn't last though, for soon Toothiana was next to him.

"Haven't you considered being a little kinder to her? After all, she's human," she claimed but his face turned stony ice.

"Precisely because she's human I must stay cold," he replied, his eyes suddenly emotionless. The view became dull, the wind stopped being comforting, and he turned back into the room, the harshness of his reality hitting him full force.

"But you're going to _marry_ her! If you want a stable relationship with her, you're doing it all wrong!" she exclaimed, following him back.

Frost sighed, "You know I'm not marrying her because I want to. I need to become king to reach my full potential and because I'm not immortal I need an heir; only a queen can give me that," he replied.

"You could've chosen from the immortals and save the girl all this conflict if that is your aim," she chastised and Jack groaned. Rarely did he feel exhausted, but that day was proving to be unending, so he plopped down in a cushion he had.

"You know perfectly well my father made sure every immortal woman available wouldn't get near me, he scared them all away. You know also that my last resort was to agree with Mother Earth all those years ago when she requested my magic to help humans, it was… is my last chance," Frost patience was wearing thin.

Tooth placed herself in the middle of his vision, making him roll his eyes, "have you ever thought of her dreams and aspirations?" she then asked, and Jack sighed.

"She would've died before accomplishing any of them, so I'm actually giving her something _useful_ to do," he replied standing up, trying to avoid the fairy at all costs, "she should be grateful."

Tooth huffed and groaned in response, "Your father has been an _awful_ influence in you, passing his unfounded stupid ideas to you."

Jack again rolled his eyes for the thousandth time in a day; "you know very well my father has nothing to do with the way I think about humans," he retorted, but Tooth would have none of it.

"Yes, he has!" she vehemently replied, "I've been with you ever since he took you in, and I can assure that being in his presence changed you. You used to be so kind, loving; full of energy, life and fun! And now you just seem like a shell of what you used to be," she remembered on a wistful tone.

"It's called growing up, Tooth, maybe you should try it," Jack replied with a definite eye-roll which effectively ended the conversation.

Tooth, deeply offended, squared her shoulders and made to leave the room. Before she exited, though she turned to the man she once perceived as _her child_ and, with sad eyes, told him, "no Jack, you're wrong… it's called losing yourself." And then, silently, she exited the room closing the doors behind her, leaving Jack alone with his, for once troubled, thoughts.

He mulled over her words a little, before dismissing them as foolishness. The child she talked about had been lost a long time ago, after he realized that the world was cold and cruel to those who were kind and caring.

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**Okay, so here's the end of the chapter. Again, I tried to look a bit more into Jack's character, to understand a bit more _why_ he's like that; mainly throwing hints so that you can try and develop your own theories. I know you didn't expect a fight like that, and I hope you don't find it out of place. I wanted since I first conceived this idea to have this confrontation of powers, in which Elsa is so pissed she just wants to get back at him, in this case by provoking him, and at first Jack was going to fight back and be smug and hateful. But you would've probably hated me for that, and also his character _changed_ in my mind from then to now. And so, the Jack I now have in mind is unable to directly hit a woman, magic or no magic, but he couldn't allow her to keep attacking him. In a way, he did need to show that in _his_ palace _he _makes the rules, and in the end he didn't hit her… much. That blast against the wall was necessary, I'm sorry. Now, the replies:**

***princesspay10: Thank you! I'm really glad you like it; I'm currently working in making Elsa happy with her new life, which is kind of troublesome because there are many misunderstandings to clean.**

***LilMate: Here's the update! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

***** **PriscilaOrglene: Thanks!**

***** **Slender Man 777: Thank you! I hope you liked this chapter as well ****J**

***** **Zejo: Thank you! I would tell you, but that'd be s huge spoiler and so I'll keep it to myself, I'm sorry. Eventually you'll find out, I promise. And I also thought at first it would be kind of the Beauty and the Beast, but it'll also be different if everything goes smoothly with my writing and such.**

***** **AnEnglishRoseLovesStories: Thank you! I hope you enjoyed it! :D**

***** **rokusan23: Thanks! I am also wondering how on Earth I'm going to pull this off realistically, don't worry, I've changed so many things in so many chapters to try to keep everything the way I imagine. I mean, I have so many ideas in my head, and writing them all out so that they complement one another is harder than it looks like.**

***** **archumus: Thank you, I hope you're liking it so far! Am… well, I'm going to be honest here; personally, I didn't like Olaf's character at all. I believe that he wasn't really necessary except to make the film funnier, which is why I'm not going to include him in the story. I don't mean to upset you, it's just my point of view; I'm sorry, but he won't be in this fic.**

***** **Milotech: Here's the update! Thanks for the support!**

***** **First Movement: Thanks for the support! I'm not sure if I already answered to your questions; I think I did, via Tumblr. Anyway, just in case, the guardians will appear in the story although they'll be adapted to this AU I'm creating.**

***** **Samanthafun4: Thank you!**

***** **ForeverDelighted: Hello! Well, how did you like this chapter? Or did you hate it? Be honest, please! Hahaha. The timings will kill me, but I think that I'm going to make it a month and something until the winter solstice; a month and something of intense work to try to make both, Elsa and Jack, loosen their barriers. Yeah, I have job to do hehehe.**

***** **Sallyma: Thank you! I hope you liked this chapter as well!**

***** **FirePrincess96: Well… yeah, and you still killed me anyway (yes, I'm a zombie right now). And here I'm updating so that you can kill me again tomorrow… oh well, what have I got to lose, right?**

***** **Bigby the Big Bad Wolf: Hey! Don't worry, every character that is evil will receive his or her proper punishment and the innocents will come clean (at least that's what I'm expecting). I think I know what you're currently thinking, and I don't know if that's a good or a bad thing. On one side, I'm showing that Elsa isn't going to sit put and wait; on the other side, I'm showing another part of Jack's personality previously unseen. I believe that the fight scene was needed, and I hope it didn't upset you. I want Elsa to eventually find happiness and I'm currently working on a later chapter of discovery for both parts, which I hope runs smoothly. Of course, before any of them can fall in love, it will have to take time, if not, it'd be unrealistic. I hope you liked the chapter and that you'll leave me another great review, as you always do.**

***** ** : Thank you! Well, as a hint I can tell you that Jack was a child; he wanted what every child wants, and because of fate, cruel fate bad things happened to the good boy. **

***** **maggi . lefay: Thanks!**

***VK: Please, don't stop writing long reviews, I love them! Thank you, btw, for all the nice comments, and the support, and the review, and overall everything! I hope you liked this chapter; yes, the fight between Anna and Elsa was necessary, and I believe that Anna will learn a valuable lesson that will help her in the future. Jack is currently a puzzle, and I'm working really hard to try to piece it together for all of you to read eventually. And that's really hard; in my mind it was so much easier! LOL.**

***** **Acinorev17: Thanks! And don't worry, that will eventually happen.**

***** **manh: Thank you, I'm really glad you like it that much! Don't worry, there won't be any love triangles that I can think of. Actually, I believe that would kill the original plot I have in mind, so it's counterproductive.**

***** **Brickgirl101: It's understandable; this Jack is made to be despised, so that when the truth about him comes forth you all will love him once again. That is, in theory, what should happen; I hope I can make it work!**

**So this is the end of another chapter; I know I've opened a lot of questions and that there are little answers, but hopefully everything will come clean in due time. Remember that I'm human and I can make mistakes, although I did check this chapter before posting. I hope you liked this chapter; to all those who followed the story, thank you very much! Also to those who added it to their favorites and whoever might be reading it right now.**

**Until we meet again,**

**ClearEyes.**


	9. Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

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**Hello beautiful people! Warnings: This is an eventful chapter. I hope you like it; I changed it a lot of times because, please, how does a woman react after a fight like that? I struggled a lot with that, I hope I got it right and I hope that it doesn't leave you upset. Another warning, when I wrote it down in OpenOffice it said 12 pages… yeah, I broke my own record, which makes me very happy, but it also means that this chapter is very, very long. There was someone out there who complained about that, well then here's a long one, although I can't promise I will keep writing such long chapters. And so, without further ado, ENjOY!**

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Elsa eventually exited the dining room and headed back to her quarters, but she decided that she didn't want to stay locked up for the rest of the day. That would mean thinking of sad stuff that would most likely make her depressed, and so she walked this time examining the halls and walls she came across. The details were extremely beautiful, so different from the ones she did. And yet, they seemed somehow the same. She was also thinking about her recent confrontation with Jack Frost. She could tell he was not used to not being in control, and even when he didn't appear to her as someone particularly evil, she could feel he completely undermined her and despised her; if not her, her wits.

Once she had calmed a bit, she had to admit a few thing to herself, which she'd die before saying out loud. The fight had been started by her, she couldn't deny that, but he had finished it in less than a minute. She couldn't help but being impressed; his powers were too great to try to engage again against him, so another fight would be counterproductive. She decided then she would _avoid_ the man; the less she saw him, the better. If he wanted to continue with the marriage, so be it, but she would never let him touch her. She could also try to _sabotage_ him or something like that; she could think of something.

Then her thoughts took another unpleasant course: Anna. The last time she saw her they had fought badly. She had heard pretty hard stuff and replied with something not so nice. She didn't like it, especially not knowing if she'd ever see her again. She supposed she would, because so far Frost had kept two of the three things he had agreed to do. She also supposed that if she ever saw her sister again it wouldn't be in less than a year.

That made her heart ache; she had just started to build a beautiful relationship with her sister, after all her years in isolation, only to wound up in another isolated place and far away from her. She wondered how she was doing, what she was feeling. She was so glad she had had _that_ chat with Kristoff; she had one less thing to worry about.

Along the hallways were a lot of vases, none of them made actually of ice. She then thought of the furniture she had seen so far, none of which had been of ice, but rather finely crafted wood. She wondered where it had come from when she came across the most peculiar sight; she saw many men shaped ice sculptures that were moving around a room, cleaning and doing the chores. They were completely devoid of emotion and soul, not like the snowman she created; these ones had been designed to be detached. They barely glanced at her and she retreated silently.

She explored the castle, which would soon somehow become her own, and she couldn't help but admire the architecture. At least that good thing would come of the marriage, right? The castle was extremely big, as if there had been a time when it actually housed people, or in this case supernatural entities. She wondered what had happened to make it look so… lonely. She came across a huge circular ballroom, which she guessed could be used to skate or dance. It was beautiful, but from the lack of marks on the floor she could tell it was rarely used. She snorted unconsciously, wondering if Anna had felt this when the gates were closed back in Arandell…

Arandell… gazing through a window she couldn't help but think about her home. Outside she saw a barren landscape of pure, white ice. It's not like it wasn't beautiful, but it just looked so empty. In her kingdom there had been beautiful gardens flourishing in spring, tall trees and rivers; everywhere you saw something that somehow warmed your heart. Completely opposite to this, really; she sighed. Then, she slipped on the ice a bit causing her to laugh; how could she slip on _ice_!

Then, suddenly, she skated; and while she skated she remembered better times. Times when her little sister danced to music only they could hear with a snowman called Olaf that loved warm hugs. Times when she discovered the real way to control her powers; when she _finally_ opened the gates and helped her sister skate, again as if the two were just two kids. She came to a stop when she felt something damp on her cheeks, and she realized she was crying. She laughed mirthlessly, wiping them.

"I'm sorry," called a female voice from the doorway and Elsa tuned abruptly, raising her hand in silent threat. Her surprise came when she saw the feathered lady from before standing there, looking apologetic and with her own hands raised in a pacific gesture. She was clearly holding a laugh, which made Elsa frown, but she lowered her hand.

"What are you apologizing for?" she said, and turned to the window again, not being in the mood to actually talk with _her_, or any acquaintance of Frost for that matter.

"Because I know Jack won't do it," she started, making Elsa turned around quickly, "and because I do not agree with what he did."

Elsa huffed, "it's not like you could've done anything to stop _him_, it would be a waste of effort and energy to hold a grudge against _you_," she replied with a slight scowl, and she made to leave the room going past the lady.

"It's not his fault, you know," the lady continued, trying to grab Elsa's attention, "he wasn't always like this. He used to be kinder, someone who treated everyone amiably and with a huge smile on his face. But overtime he changed; he changed because _his_ father always rejected him, and he changed for the worse."

Elsa halted, and without turning, she asked, "why are you telling me this?" If she was honest, she was a little mad that the lady had brought that up. Why should she care anyway if Jack Frost wasn't always cold? As far as Elsa was concerned it didn't matter if he didn't try to get better.

"Because I don't want you to hate him," the lady replied with a slight chuckle, "I know it's a lot to ask, but I would like for you to give him a chance."

At that, Elsa turned enraged to face the lady, who got startled and backed away a few feet, and with reason, "a chance to do what, exactly? A chance to mock me, insult me and degrade me? A chance to rid me of my humanity? Thank you very much, but I refuse," she retorted angrily and turned back again to leave.

"Then give _me _a chance," the lady retorted with a yell. "if you won't give _him_ a chance then at least let _me_ be your friend; no one really likes to be alone, even if you try your hardest to convince you so."

Elsa halted on her steps, weighing her options. One part of her didn't want to be friends with that feathered lady; she didn't want to be friends with anyone that had to do anything with Frost, who was responsible for her current unhappiness. The other part of her, the rational part, retorted saying that Elsa didn't want to be alone at all; that part knew that if she isolated herself like she had done so many years ago her situation wouldn't get any better. The lady seemed willing and kind, not at all like the cold Jack Frost (no pun intended) or the mighty Mother Earth; instead, the lady seemed like the opposite of both.

"What do you know about being alone?" she finally asked in no more than a whisper.

The lady chuckled softly, "oh, dear, you have no idea," she said, with an inviting smile hoping to coax Elsa into befriending her. She extended a small hand towards the queen, "my name is Toothiana, I'm the last fairy queen of the Sisters of the Flight but you can call me Tooth; nice to meet you."

Elsa turned and looked at the feathered lady intently with narrowed eyes. She'd never know what did it; maybe it was the smile, the warmth she missed so much, the honesty in the eyes of the fairy, but in the end she sighed. The queen extended a hesitant hand and took Tooth's with a small shake, "I'm Queen Elsa of Arandell, nice to meet you too."

In the end, she allowed herself a small, shy smile.

* * *

The days passed. As it turned out, Elsa needed the company of the fairy. She might never admit it out loud, but the only thing keeping her sane was Tooth's constant chatter and fluttering. She found it strangely invigorating; the fairy had unbelievable energy and vitality that was undeniably contagious. She discovered that the fairy Toothiana was, indeed, the last of her kind; and yet, she was the warmest, kindest and most compassionate being she had ever the pleasure to meet. It didn't take long for them to become close friends; apparently, Tooth had been born _talking_.

Elsa rarely saw Jack Frost, and she had a hunch that he was avoiding her as much as she avoided him, although she could be wrong. The few times she had seen him; he was flying away from the ice palace or returning to it. And in all those few times, he was never smiling, always scowling and sometimes frowning. He looked really unhappy, and Elsa doubted it was entirely her fault. Not only was she to marry the king of brats, but also an unhappy one that didn't have a high opinion on her at all. In fact, she believed he treasured the ice servants more than he cared about her.

Elsa made sure to avoid going back to the dining room, not wanting to come across Frost. Tooth knew that and so they usually ate together in one of their rooms; and it was on one of these occasions, in Elsa's room, when Frost suddenly arrived at the door. He knocked loudly, surprising the queen, and after she had replied the prince had walked into the room, surprising Tooth. The queen, a bit panicked, turned to look at the fairy for help, but she received an equally panicked glance.

Elsa stood up, squared her shoulder, and put her best stance to receive whatever Jack Frost wanted. She even bowed, mockingly, to which the prince scowled visibly. "Can you leave us alone, Toothiana?" he asked the fairy without looking away from Elsa's gaze; they had engaged in a much more pacific duel, but that didn't mean he was going to lose.

"But-" the fairy started to protest, when she was interrupted rather rudely by Jack.

"Now," he said firmly. The fairy jumped, her face became red in indignation while her feathers stood on end and her wings picked up speed. Without another word, she exited the room and closed the door with a loud bang.

For a while, both monarchs stood unmoving staring at each other. When the silence had extended for too long, Elsa spoke up.

"What have you come here for?" she said, deliberately forgetting to add '_my lord_' or any other sign that showed some kind of respect towards the man in front of her. Jack Frost raised an eyebrow.

"Is that any way of speaking to the master and prince of the palace you currently inhabit?" he asked, obviously amused at her antics.

The queen raised her chin, "well, it's not like I wanted," she retorted and the prince snorted.

He waved his hand in a dismissive manner as he started to pace, "whatever," he said smugly, "I just came to deliver some _news_," Elsa didn't like the way he said that word. "The Winter Solstice will occur in exactly one month and two weeks, and you have been chosen to plan the banquet."

Elsa's jaw _almost_ slacked, but she wouldn't give him that satisfaction. "And what makes you think I'll do it? As far as I'm concerned, if you want a banquet, you are to be the one to plan it."

"Because, _my dear_," Jack Frost replied with the smirk she hated so much, "we have a deal. _And_ because you wouldn't want the winter in Arandell to last an extra month, right?" he said and Elsa paled considerably.

"You wouldn't," she said in a tight voice.

"Oh, really? Is that a challenge?" he asked rhetorically, looking at his nails with a completely smug and victorious look.

"It was one of my demands; you are not to harm my people in any way," she replied, her voice shaking a bit with uncertainty.

"And yet we managed to bring you here and you didn't even noticed," he commented nonchalantly, rubbing salt in an already open wound, "besides, as I said we have a deal. You do your part of the deal and I do mine, as simple as that. You should know that, after all, it the way business works, am I right?"

Elsa took a sharp breath, face contorting with a scowl, but she had no choice yet again but to accept, "fine, I'll do it."

"Perfect," the prince then chirpily replied, "I knew you'd agree, _dear_. I'll send you with Toothiana the requirements for the banquet; I expect everything will be _perfect_."

He then bowed mockingly, knowing he had been the winner of that particular banter, and left the room walking twice as smugly as when he entered. Once the door was closed, Elsa groaned and froze a pillow out of sheer anger. And she knew, in that moment, that she _hated_ him!

* * *

Elsa was fuming. To say so was an actual understatement. The fairy had been trying to calm the princess down for well over two hours and to no avail. Elsa was just so enraged! He had no right! As much as she _had_ to marry him, he couldn't resort to bribe her whenever he wanted, knowing she'd die before letting anything happen to her home. He was a rat, he knew she cared and he took advantage of it… but it wouldn't be left unpunished, she would get back at him, even if it was the last thing she ever did.

And so, a few days later, and trying to help Elsa with a small, fun distraction, they went out for a stroll into the plains. Toothiana said Frost didn't know, so that they were sneaking out, and the queen couldn't help but feel the excitement of doing something behind someone else's back. Besides, if it would spite the prince later, she'd gladly do it now. And so, Elsa was wearing a comfortable outfit that consisted in some worn pants with beautiful snowflake patterns and a long light blue tunic. She had her hair braided towards the back, a small, lilac, waving cape to keep her warm and flat shoes. If they found a nice place to skate, she could easily turn them into skates precisely because their design was simple. Tooth had prepared a basket with food so they could eat something later, and without much hesitation they left the Winter Palace's grounds. Immediately, Elsa forgot her problems. It had been so long, or so it felt, since she had felt the cold air and the chilly breeze. She smiled, her cheeks turning rosy and her eyes shining with uncontained mirth. Toothiana perceived this change but didn't comment on it; instead she let the queen have her fun, for it looked like she needed it.

They started racing, without saying anything. Tooth was flying a few feet above the ground, as always, and Elsa passed her with a few quick steps. By the way, she was gliding on ice, having transformed her flat shoes in skates with a flick of her wrist, so that her feet wouldn't sink into the snow. The queen threw a challenging glance towards the fairy, thing that didn't go unnoticed by her, and so the race started. Elsa gliding on ice she created, doing so gracefully; Tooth flying as hard as she could, her wings almost invisible.

Once, the fairy decided to do some flips in the air, to which Elsa responded with a snort, "Show off," the queen declared, making Tooth giggle. To compensate for her lack of wings, though, was Elsa's talent on the ice. She expanded the ice with a movement of her arms and, when the fairy least expected it, the queen made a perfect toe loop. She winked at Toothiana when she finished and the fairy couldn't help a laugh.

They went on for at least an hour, until they deemed it proper to rest. Both were panting, and Elsa's legs were aching because it had been a long, very long time since she skated like that. Not like she didn't like it, but the pain would stay with her for days. They found a place that Tooth considered prettier than any other, for Elsa everything looked the same in that barren environment, and so they extended a blanket and sat down to eat what they had brought. It was then, sitting, when Elsa realized that as barren as the landscape was, it was still very beautiful. The snow glittered like jewels, and it reflected the sunlight beautifully.

"Yesterday," the queen started, "when Frost came into the room, he… _asked_ me, although threatening would be a more accurate word, to plan the wedding banquet," she said to a listening Tooth.

The fairy had been trying to coax the information out of her since she had returned to the room with her the day before, but Elsa had been so enraged that Tooth barely understood what the real problem was, even when she suspected it, "I imagined as much," she replied with a small smile.

Elsa's eyes widened in disbelief and faked astonishment, "and what is _that_ supposed to mean?"

Tooth laughed, her melodious voice resounding all throughout the clearing, "you never get so worked up unless it's about your hometown or your sister," the fairy explained when she stopped to take a breath. Elsa rolled her eyes, "so what are you going to do?"

Elsa shrugged and looked to the ground, "I don't know; I mean, any woman in my place would be thrilled, jumping up and down at the prospect of planning their wedding… but I'm not, and I can't help but dread that day," it was the first time she spoke to Tooth about her _real_ feelings towards the whole matter.

Tooth looked down, sadly, "I'm sorry," she apologized like the day she met her.

The queen shook her head, "it's not you who should be apologizing," she replied.

But the fairy didn't bulge, "I'm not sure, maybe it is," at this, Elsa was puzzled but she listened anyway, Tooth sighed, "I've always felt like I could've done _something_, anything to protect _him_. He was only a child, and I failed him."

"What do you mean Tooth?" Elsa asked feeling slightly alarmed.

The fairy sighed again, "it's not my story to tell, but when Jack arrived he was very small; a shy child that was only afraid and who had been through so much. And yet he was always smiling, fooling around, having _fun_; until his father changed him."

Now Elsa was surprised; she had just assumed Frost had always been a stupid brat, but to hear he hadn't always been like _that_ came as a shock. She honestly couldn't imagine a kind, warm, dork Jack Frost as much as she tried; and even if he had been to hell and back she was not going to forgive him for everything he had done. Still, she felt compelled to ask, "who's his father?"

Toothiana shook her head, "I really shouldn't be speaking of this with you; it's really personal," the fairy said remorsefully and avoided the question altogether. They kept quiet a few minutes, Tooth lost in her memories while Elsa in her thoughts, still trying to conceive the impossible idea of a _kind_ Jack Frost.

Suddenly, the wind rose and said man appeared with his cloak, staff and a very angry scowl; he didn't look at Elsa, didn't even acknowledge her, and went straight to Tooth, "why did you leave the palace?" he asked curtly.

Tooth stuttered, surprised and feeling a little guilty she had been talking about him; in her mind she wondered if he had listened to anything they had said, "I-I-I wanted to help Elsa, and it didn't seem like a bad idea."

Jack Frost turned around sharply, as if scouting his surroundings from some possible danger, "it's not safe; pack everything up, we're going back to the palace."

Elsa could see his contained anger in his eyes, but also some kind of alertness that made a chill run down the queen's spine, a chill that had nothing to do with the cold. And so, when Tooth started putting the things in the basket they had brought, she helped her without a word, stealing glances from the prince who was a few feet away. Then she noticed that he was holding his staff in a defensive stance, as if expecting an attack. He wasn't that wrong…

The ground suddenly shook hard; so hard, that the queen lost her balance and fell into the ice. She looked at Tooth, who suddenly looked nervous but got into a fighting stance in front of Elsa, shielding her with her body. Frost also had adopted a fighting stance, with his staff pointing to a point in the distance. The queen stood up again and raised her own arms, willing her powers to come forth but keeping them at bay while she waited for the right moment; if only she knew _when_ the right moment was.

She didn't have to wait long though; soon she saw the snow moving in the distance at a fast rate. She thought it was her eyes deceiving her, but when the ground shook again she knew she wasn't. Suddenly, in front of their little party, the snow exploded upwards and from a huge hole appeared a huge beast.

The queen had to suppress a horrified gasp. The beast was hideous; it had very thick fur, ideal for the weather but it also looked as if it emulated spikes, to defend itself or to attack. It was wide and tall, with a huge jaw full of pointy teeth; it walked in four enormous, muscular paws that finished with very sharp and long claws that looked as if made of ice. Elsa could compare it with a bear; a very big and deformed bear of sorts that somehow had been stripped of its nature. To top it all, it had a long tail where the fur really became spikes; it was its weapon.

It threw its head back and sniffed the air, and then turned to look at the group before it. Its black eyes got fixated in Elsa and she gulped; she was in trouble. That's the moment Frost chose to speak.

"Tooth, take the queen back to the castle," he said in a low voice, never taking away his eyes from the beast.

"I won't leave you alone to fight that _thing_," she spat as her reply and Frost groaned audibly.

"Do as I say, it's not _you_ I'm worried about," he replied and threw a quick glance at Elsa that didn't go unnoticed.

And she didn't like it at all. "What, you think I can't defend myself?" she asked challenging and Frost turned his unamused gaze towards her.

He huffed, smirking wryly with tight lips that showed how stressed he really felt, "_you_ have no idea on _how_ to fight that thing. You are going to get hurt, you can even die; the issue is not that you can't protect yourself, which you actually can't, but that _it_ came here _haunting _you," he explained as fast as he could, making Elsa purse her lips and frown.

"Oh, so you _do_ think I can't fight," she retorted and Jack had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. The beast had gotten tired of their banter and had decided to strike; for a beast that size, it moved really _fast_. It moved its paw in an arch above his body and brought it down right on the spot where Elsa was; because she was too concentrated on Jack Frost, she saw it a little too late. The queen was about to become beast food…

…had Frost not intercepted the attack with its staff, from where he expelled a huge blast of ice that sent the beast tumbling backwards; "now you understand what I mean? Stop being so stubborn and go back to the palace with Toothiana," he ordered, leaving no room for argument.

But Elsa was never one to follow orders, especially from people she disliked; "why is that thing _haunting_ me? Did you bring it here?" she accused, thinking that maybe it was his way of trying to demonstrate her that she was, indeed, _weak_. Well, she was not and she would not leave.

But Jack Frost snorted mirthlessly, "as if," he replied and moved to block another incoming attack from the huge beast, which was growing restless the more it couldn't reach its target. "Tooth, get her out of here!"

The fairy grabbed Elsa's arm and tried to drag her away, but the stubborn queen wanted answers and, if she was honest with herself, she wanted to spite the prince. Although it was kind of stupid to do so in the current situation, she firmly believed she could handle herself. In a few moments she'd discover how wrong she was; "then why is it here? _Who_ sent it?"

Frost took a few moments to answer, debating if he should or should not answer the question while trying to cage the beast with ice. It was growing harder because every time he made a pillar, it made sure to smash it. It was a good distraction though, even if it wouldn't hold for long. Then, after a few minutes of effort and silence, he finally answered, "my father."

Elsa was puzzled, but before she could retort something, the tail of the beast had found its way around Jack's ice barriers and it was going to hit her. She was not distracted this time and she could dodge; Tooth, who had been observing the beast intently while planning a good attack, and listening to the banter of those two, then decided to take off and started to fly around the beast faster than Elsa had ever seen her. She targeted its eyes, so that it wouldn't see where the queen was, but it was, as always, easier said than done. Tooth was going to have her hands full for a while, for she needed to watch out for the spikes and the claws that wanted to bring her down.

Jack pursed her lips; he had told Toothiana to take the queen away, but instead she had joined in the fight. Why, oh why, would she do that? He wasn't in danger, the fairy wasn't in danger, the one his father wanted death was the human queen! In fact, by being there both ladies, he was more distracted and unfocused, and thus couldn't control the beast as he wanted. He could see the queen because she had moved from behind him when the tail hurled her way. She had a grimace on her face and a frown of concentration; her hands were raised as she made a huge wall of ice and threw it against the beast. Jack knew she wasn't trained on fighting, and the queen would need to do a lot more if she wanted the slightest chance at defeating the beast.

Too late to retreat, there was no other choice but to engage in a full fight, and as a strategist, Jack stopped trying to cage the beast from the land and he took off into the air, where he floated and planned, "Tooth, keep him distracted as you're doing, don't let him see anything else," he ordered and even when the fairy didn't reply he knew she had heard him. "You," he pointed to Elsa, "if you want to fight then at least do it right; try to freeze its paws to the ground with the thickest ice you can form. When you done with the four paws move on to the tail."

The queen set out to do what Frost told her, deciding to trust him because now she really didn't have _that_ much of a choice. Elsa realized that he knew what he was doing when she read his strategy: distract it, immobilize it and, finally, cage it. The brat was smart; she had to give him that, for it was a wise strategy. The beast was suddenly overwhelmed, its attention being pulled towards too many directions, and its movements turned sloppy. It couldn't decide whether to attack the nuisance on its eyes, the pillars around it or the queen currently freezing its limbs.

So far, it seemed that the strategy was working; Elsa made ice crawl up to the shoulder blades of the beast and up its hind legs until the ice reached the spot where the tail started, and she had been adding layer after layer of ice. It was now as thick as the thinnest wall of the castle, and that was something. Still, she had never had to use her power to that extent, not even when she had to defend herself from the men who wanted to kill her in her castle, and she could feel her force dwindling. She was sweating profusely, even in the cold, and her breath came in labored. Her knees felt weak and she knew she wouldn't be able to hold it much longer and she still had to freeze the tail.

Frost, in the meantime, had been raising very thick pillars in a circular shape around the monster. He made them really thick, with many layers, even thicker than the palace walls so that not even the claws of it would be able to break it. Now that there were no paws breaking them every few seconds, the cage was taking its shape. He looked at the queen and saw her body about to give in to exhaustion, so he hurried to finish the icy prison. It was easy for him, having been trained to know how to control his powers and, along the way, to fight them. It had been _years_ of constant training before he could build something as great without breaking a sweat; the queen, on the other hand, had the least resistant and her body was _weak_. Princesses weren't trained on combat, especially the future queen who had to learn more about diplomacy and court. _But she wanted to fight, right?_

"You can stop now," he told her and she practically collapsed on her knees. In a few more minutes the cage was finished and the beast was completely immobilized, with the only exception of the tail. "You can stop too, Tooth," he told the fairy who immediately went towards him with a huge smile on her face, being them the victorious team. Jack, though, didn't return her happy expression and instead shot her a warning glare. They were going to talk about this _later_, and she would have an earful of his scolding. She grimaced just by thinking about it. He motioned with his head to go help the queen, and in seconds she was already helping the queen to stand up shakily.

The queen had never been so tired in her entire life; her head was swimming and she couldn't focus her gaze. She felt the delicate arms of Tooth helping her up and she leaned on her. She could barely stand, let alone walk. She would be so sorry in the morning…

Jack had been distracted just one second, thinking he needed to go to his father as soon as possible to fix what he tried to do and also of where he could hide his father's _little_ pet when he saw something move to the side. That blasted tail! As if in slow motion, he saw it move fast towards the queen and fairy, who were currently too engrossed in their own business to notice. _Never let your guard down, how could I have been so stupid!?_ He scolded himself while he threw a shield from his place in the air. "Look out!" he yelled when he realized that the distance between Jack and the ladies was greater than the distance between the beast's tail and them and that the shield might arrive a little too late.

Elsa felt Tooth stiffen and heard her gasp, her vision was still unfocused; just a few seconds ago she thought she heard Frost throw a warning. Before she could fully process it though, she felt something big collide with her side; suddenly her feet weren't on the ground any longer, her face slammed with the ice of the floor, and it hurt really badly where she felt the collision. She felt her consciousness fading, even when she didn't know if it had been the exhaustion, the impact or a little bit of both, and the last thing she heard was Frost cursing and Tooth calling her name urgently. Then she welcomed the blissful darkness.

* * *

**Okay… so… don't kill me, that is all I can really say. On this chapter I added even more drama, and I'm introducing this new character that is Jack Frost's father who will be finally revealed in the following chapters. Many of you have tried to guess, and to them and everyone else thinking it, his father is _not_ Pitch Black. As appealing as that idea might be to me, and to so many others, Pitch Black cannot be the King of the Winter Court, if anything, he's the King of Nightmares. I was thinking of including him somehow though, but that'll be decided later. Still, I believe this was a nice introduction for the real antagonist of the story, what did you think?**

**Now, on to the reviews (can you believe I can take up to one hour just replying to you guys?! You really are amazing!):**

***Otakugirl 13: It will take time to make them properly fall in love, but we will get there, I assure you. And yes, I do have a dA account that you can sta- I mean, follow (pun intended) but I honestly don't use it that much; I don't consider myself that much of a visual artist and my drawings in there make me ashamed, so I rather not give it away. I do have a tumblr account also, which I prefer by far (and I have a friend who'd kill me because I just say that), so if you want to follow that one go ahead. It's the same name of my FF account.**

***DRAMA DE NOCHE: Thank you! I'm really glad you like it, how did you like _this_ chapter?**

***TukeIsHappilyNotWorking: Thank you! I honestly have no idea on how breaking the cycle… no, actually I have plenty of ideas and _that_ is the real problem because I don't know which one to use. Each one has to have a different approach, which I've already changed at least three times in the already uploaded chapters. And I know it was pretty bold of Elsa, but I felt like if she didn't do it, then she'd feel much more repressed and bad, so it was in part for her mental sake (we don't want the queen falling into depression).**

***ForeverDelighted: Don't worry about it, it's completely normal and understandable. I'm glad you could finally read it and, above all, that you _liked_ it. Yes, there is drama and it will keep coming, increasing and twisting the plot. What did you think about this chapter?**

***pam-pa-da-da-dam: Thank you for the support, I hope you liked this chapter as well ****J**

***First Movement: Thank you, I'm really glad you like it! I hope that twelve pages and over five thousand words was better to satisfy you, and I also hope this wasn't that much of a cliff hehe (who am I kiddin? It's a really big cliff and you're going to kill me for it).**

***Zejo: Thank you! If you have any more questions feel free to ask me anytime you want, through review or PM. I'll gladly answer them ****J**

***FrostSapphire: I know, right? The only problem here is that he has yet to see Elsa for what she truly is and fall in love with her… that, my dear, is the _real_ challenge.**

***manh: Well, seeing as they are as friendly as a wolf and it's pray, I'd say it will take some time. Now, let me explain why; if I do it too fast, it will seem unrealistic, though I can't afford to do it too slow either. I'm trying to find the right pace, and I believe that this chapter will be relevant and an inflection point in their relationship… or at least the next one.**

***Rinhearts: Thank you! I really like to describe the stuff so that I the people who read it can see what I see.**

***SecretSuccubus: Yay, a long review! I love those, it's like an early Christmas gift or something like that for me. Now, *rubs hands* I'm really glad you like this Jack; I've always wanted to write something where Jack wasn't as charming and sweet and caring, which if we consider his real story (the one of the film) it could've very well happened. I mean, he was three hundred years alone and he didn't turn bitter? It's great, but I also love to explore what would a bitter Jack like because it's one possible option that was left open to our imagination. I understand you when you say you've read too much Fanfictions of all love and sweets, which is something I didn't want to write about; and also when you say about the fight. I mean, come on! They have both ice powers, don't you wonder who's strongest? I did! And this is the result hahaha.**

**To finish this reply: I did this chapter extra-long for the person who said they were too short and now I realize is you! I hope you liked it, I did my best. No, Pitch Black isn't Jack's father; his father is someone frequently used in other FanFics but I gave him my own twist so it's kind of an OC (so far no one has claimed license over him, so…). And to answer your last question, yes, probably yes, but much later on. I hope you like this chapter and I'd really like to hear (read) your thoughts on it!**

***Brickgirl101: Thanks!**

***res123: Thank you, I'm really happy you liked the story! Another long review, yes! Well, first of all, no, Pitch isn't Jack's father. I know it seems like it, but if you think about it, at the same time it doesn't. You theory it's fine, it's actually a great plot, but the one I'm planning has already too much drama to add a triangle into the mix. I'm glad you can still see Jack through his mask, I was afraid I had made him too unreadable. I hope you liked this chapter too, and in the following you'll understand more about Jack and maybe even meet his father.**

***VK: I felt really happy when I read your last review, honestly. I have no words to reply properly to such well written review, I mean, where do I start? I was already tired of they falling in love so easily, so I tried to make it harder for them; in the end, what you have trouble obtaining is something you value so much more. In the end I believe their love will be strong, precisely because of how their relationship started. I'm really glad you liked the slap; it was a very good touch that needed to be there, I think it gave Elsa much more strength and fierceness… which is why I didn't know how to start writing this chapter… I hope I didn't mess it up, or that if I did, it compensated with the end.**

***Fireprincess96: Yeah… you're so killing me tomorrow, and yet I can't stop laughing just by picturing your face at the end of this chapter. I will have so much fun tomorrow; if I live to tell the tale, of course.**

***Samanthafun4: Don't, please don't feel bad for her. Part of making her rebellious is because I didn't want to make her depressed and feeling sorry for herself; she's a strong woman and everything will go well in the end.**

***PriscilaOrglene: I know Jack is acting really cold and out of character compared to the movie, but that's the whole point in the story. Soon it'll be revealed more about his past, so please be patient.**

***maggi . lefay:**

***BleachLover11: Thank you! Here's the update!**

***AliceInNeverland: I'm really glad you like it! Elsa and Tooth did become friends, because I would've felt bad of making her all isolated and alone again when there's the Tooth Fairy! I'm trying to make her as accurate as possible, sweet and loving and caring and everything else that makes her be her. The hints won't stop coming, I hope you enjoy them.**

***Sallyma: Thank you!**

***Milotech: Here's the update!**

**And so it ends another chapter, a really long one, that I hope pleased everyone in one way or another. Thank you for all the support, to those who favorite, to those who follow and to those who read and I don't know your names; please let me know what were your thoughts on this chapter and on this turn of events that I'm pretty sure left more than one chewing on their nails (at least that's what I was rooting for).**

**I'm sorry for the late update (late meaning night, here is 7:12 pm when I usually update in the morning) but today I had a very busy and stressful day and tomorrow won't be any better. No, actually, tomorrow will be better because my friends and I are probably going to the movies to enjoy ourselves, and I can't wait!**

**So, until we meet again,**

**ClearEyes.**

**P.S. I hope I don't have _that many_ mistakes and that they're not as silly as the others -.-"**


	10. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

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**Hello again beautiful people! I can't explain to you how happy I am of the support you've shown this story and me and all the success this has had is because of you, really. Today is a very special day, not only because it's update day, but because a very special friend of mine has her birthday today! So, this chapter is dedicated to FirePrincess96, who also happened to threatened me because of last chapter's (horrible/amazing) cliffhanger, and I wish to her a very happy birthday. Now, let's sing: _Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear FirePrincess96! Happy birthday to you!_**

**And so this chapter begins; ENjOY:**

**P.s.: I happened to have reached the thirteen pages today on this chapter, which is yet another record! I didn't know a longer chapter would be more of your liking, but taking your reviews into considerations, I'll try to keep them that way. It's midnight here, and I want to sleep not-so-late today, so I'll stop my rambling now.**

* * *

Jack Frost took a deep breath while he pressed his fingers against the bridge of his nose. That _must_ have hurt; and not only that, now _he_ had to clean the mess. Jack had frozen the gaps between the bars of the cage, creating a crystalized structure that held the beast inside, tail and all; of course, the damage was already done. He floated down from the ground to where Tooth was kneeling and worrying next to an unconscious queen. Tooth had been spared from the tail, although Jack didn't know if that had been deliberate or accidental; it could also be the fact that on the last second possible, the fairy's instincts kicked in and her wings propelled her backwards.

"When I tell you to _do_ something, Tooth," he started, "please _do_ as I say! You know I don't say things _without _a reason, although our feisty queen might disagree on that," he reprimanded the fairy, who looked guilty and on the verge of tears.

"Why was that thing here? Why did _he_ send it?" she all but yelled, desperately trying to wake Elsa up.

The prince knelt down and started to inspect the damage; she had obviously one or two broken ribs, her head was bruised and a thin line of blood trickled from her forehead and stopped on her cheek. It was a pretty deep gash, and she would need stitches. He went further down to the legs, where her ankle was bent in an unnatural position. "She needs medical attention; go to the North Pole and tell Nicholas to come here in an urgent matter, but _don't_ give any details," he ordered the fairy who turned her puzzled gaze and fixed him in his.

"But-" she started to complain, wanting to stay with the queen and make sure she'd be alright.

"Tooth, I'm not asking your opinion; go now, I'll get her back to the palace," he ordered again, his voice firmer. She'd listen to his full rant, of course, but first there were more pressing matters. The fairy knew it was completely futile to argue with Jack, he could be as stubborn as a goat. So with a resigned sigh, she took flight to the North Pole; she'd need to fly really fast, she had to practically fly around the world.

And then Jack was alone with Elsa; a broken and unconscious queen that didn't know better than to argue with him. And now she was hurt, badly. He would've never called for Nicholas if he could avoid it, but this time it was necessary. Maybe his father was right… No, don't go there.

Speaking of his father, he would need to go to his palace on top of Mt. Everest and tell him about the confinement of his pet. Jack Frost would die before he handed it back, especially if _his daddy_ would keep trying to murder who would become his bride. Well, of course, what did he expect? His father lived to make his life harder, always had and always would… But he'd have to take care of that later.

He scooped up Elsa as softly as he could, not wanting to hurt her more than what she already was, and he commanded the air to take them back softly and fast. That was a difficult task, but eventually the wind could find its pace. And still it took a little over an hour to reach the Winter Palace. Once they'd arrived, Jack took the unconscious queen to her room where he hardened the bed with a smooth layer of ice and placed her on top. The least she needed was a soft bed that would bend her already broken body in an even more awkward position.

He didn't stay long, tough, for he soon exited the palace once again and returned to the site of the attack to properly take care of his father's _pet_.

* * *

Tooth flew faster than she had in a long time. The last time she could remember flying that fast was when she found out Jack had been attacked and that Nicholas was tending to his wounds. Pretty much something like this situation, which made her blood boil with anger. How dare _he_ attack a completely innocent human girl like that? It wasn't the first time he had taken violent measures to rid himself of what he perceived as an obstacle, Jack being on the receiving end once. That only made her wings move faster.

Sooner than she expected, the village known as Santoff Claussen came into view and so did the workshop where Nicholas St. North usually spent his days. She didn't even knock and just burst inside through an open window, surprising the yetis working there. She flew throughout the workshop until she arrived at the personal work place of Nicholas; she opened the door without hesitation.

Said man had been happily crafting a beautiful ice sculpture of winged horses as a prototype for a toy he wanted to build. He had been thoroughly sketching the details in a piece of paper during the morning, and when he deemed it proper he finally had chunked a huge block of ice to start sculpting. He had just finished with the last feather, and he made if fly with a small amount of magic. It was _beautiful_! He loved making toys, and while he watched it fly he grabbed and started munching a cookie. That was until the door slammed open with a loud bang, colliding with the winged horse, breaking it and sending the pieces to the floor.

North let out a surprised exclamation, one that an overly feminine voice replied with another, but he wasn't focusing on that. His beautiful work that had taken over half a day to make now was broken in pieces on the floor. Perhaps he should've paid attention to the female voice, because then he would've known better than to put on an angry frown; too late though. He turned around, to face the _intruder_, "how many times have I…?"

But what he saw wasn't a yeti; what he saw actually made his jaw slack. In front of him stood a very red in the face, panting and on the verge of tears Tooth Fairy who looked like she could use a hug. "Nicholas," she breathed, still trying to recover her breath.

"Tooth," he replied, still stunned, "come in, come in; sit down, do you want something to drink?"

The fairy hadn't gotten her breath back just yet, so she complied and sat on the chair Nicholas was offering her. Quickly, he scrambled to a corner on his studio and poured a big glass of water that he handed to Toothiana. The fairy took it gratefully and drank its contents greedily; while she was at it, Nicholas pulled the chair from behind the desk and placed it next to the tired fairy and waited for her.

"Thanks," she said once she had finished the water in the glass and placed it, now empty, on the desk.

"What happened Tooth?" Nicholas finally dared to ask, worry shining in his eyes. She turned to look, the relief present but also a sense of urgency that made North's hairs stand on end.

"I need you to come to the Winter Court, there's been an emergency that needs _urgent_ treatment," she declared, grabbing the big hands of North and leaving no room for argument. In less than ten minutes, they were on their way in Santa's sleigh.

* * *

When Elsa came to, the first thing she noticed was that she was no longer outside. The bright light that bothered her came directly from the ceiling in her room at the Winter Palace. How had she gotten there, was a mystery. The last thing she remembered was pain, lots of it, and the fight that took place beforehand against an angry beast that wanted to kill her. The next thing she perceived was a foul smell coming from somewhere directly in front of her; when she tried to move away from it a wave of pain overcame her and she groaned.

"She's waking up," she heard a man with a unique accent say to her right. She then deduced that the smell was there on purpose to _wake_ her up. She tried to open her eyes, but the blinding white light was blinding and it brought an acute headache, so she closed her eyes again. "Easy girl," the man now told _her_ and not whoever else was in the room with them, "you are injured badly and you hit your head."

She had to resist the urge to retort something like 'you don't say', but decided against it. Instead, she focused on trying to open her eyes slowly so that the light wouldn't hurt as much. Finally, after a few minutes of battling with her eyelids, she could keep her eyes open; the light still bothered her but she could manage. It was then that she saw a very big man standing right in front of her, with a black beard that had strakes of white in it that revealed he was older than he looked. Next to her and across from the mysterious man with the unique accent, which she believed was Russian or something of the sort, was Toothiana holding her hand tightly, tears brimming on her beautiful amethyst eyes. On the far corner of the room, looking out the window stood an apparently indifferent Jack Frost with his shoulders and brow tense. He was angry, most likely at her, and she'd have to listen to the scolding; for once, though, she thought he was _right_. She was never ready to use her powers like that, which left her exhausted and open to a potential attack that _did_ happen. Yes, she should've known better; of course, she'd never admit it out loud.

"How are you feeling?" her attention was brought back to the man when he asked.

"Not good," she croaked with her voice raspy, and she found her tongue felt heavier than usual which made speaking sound funny. The man muttered concussion and wrote something down in a piece of paper. Elsa tried to shift positions and had to stifle a yelp of pain when she moved the slightest bit.

"Don't move dear," Tooth said, "you bruised your ribs, and one of them broke as did your ankle. The exertion your body made will also make your muscles feel sore for a while," the fairy explained tightening her grip on Elsa's hand. The queen groaned, annoyed and in pain.

Then the man spoke to her again, "you have to stay awake for at least four hours," he ordered while he moved a finger in front of her eyes, checking her pupil reflexes. They were fine, "you're going to be just fine as long as you follow the indications I gave Toothiana and Jack; you need to change the bandages on your torso every two days, let Tooth help you, and you must not walk too much as long as you have the cast on your leg. You have stitches on your forehead and you can apply this salve," he motioned to a small vial on his hand that had something green-y inside, "so that it doesn't scar."

Elsa had a bit of trouble following his words, but she nodded nonetheless, "thank you… em…" she struggled to find an appropriate way to call the man; he didn't look like a doctor, at least none like those in Arandell.

"North; Nicholas St. North at your service," the man introduced and the queen nodding.

"Elsa," was her soft reply, still shocked about the feeling on her mouth that was slowly, very much so, diminishing.

The man smiled widely, making the corners of his eyes wrinkle, "you may also take this potion," he said motioning to another vial that had what looked like purple liquid inside, "it's magical, it will help with the pain and the healing; make sure you only take one per day because it can cause not-so-pleasant side effects if abused," he finished his explanation uncorking quite dramatically the vial and handing it to the queen.

She took it gingerly and turned to look at Tooth, who shot her a look of encouragement, and then she downed it in one go. To her surprise, it wasn't as bitter as she'd expect… if she'd have to guess, she'd say that it tasted a bit like vanilla. The effect was almost immediate; her head stopped the dull throbbing she had been feeling since waking up, her chest didn't hurt every time she took a breath, her ankle stopped pulsating and she felt, overall, better. She smiled softly, feeling also how the funny feeling in her tongue disappearing completely and a sudden sense of alertness she lacked before.

"Can you please leave us?" Jack Frost, who had been quiet as a rock and still as a statue, finally spoke.

Tooth was the one to reply, "Jack, I don't believe Elsa is any condition to-"

"I said _leave us_," he repeated, clearly pissed. She wasn't going to back down and she wasn't going to leave, but a gentle squeeze on her hand brought her attention back to Elsa.

"It's okay, I can handle it," she said with a soft smile that did little to reassure the fairy.

North then placed a hand on Toothiana's shoulder and guided her towards the door; she exited first, and before the door closed Nicholas turned with a warning on his eyes, "don't upset her, she needs rest." Then they closed the door and left the two ice masters in the room; Elsa was going to speak up but Frost didn't give her any chance.

"I believe you're satisfied now, aren't you?" he asked softly, his tone calm even when underneath he wanted to pull at his hair and yell at the stupidity of the queen, "you used your powers to the point of exhaustion where you _almost collapsed_. You would've done it anyway, but the beast decided to deal with it sooner. Now, you're injured and you could've died had you not had _my_ help; and all because you chose to pick a fight and not listen to what I said, even when you _saw_ what was coming. You insisted on fighting and now you're here; needless to say that was reckless and foolish," he finished with his still controlled tone that contained the prince's anger.

The queen knew all that, she knew she should've known better and be more rational, even if it meant doing what the brat told her; she knew it and she didn't need to be reminded of it, but because she was wrong and she had to _admit_ when she was, she bowed her head slightly, "I'm sorry, I know I did wrong," she simply said grudgingly.

The prince, instead of mocking her like he usually did, pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose, as was his habit when thinking about something serious and important. He looked like a father scolding his child; "despite my love for mockery, this should teach you to listen whenever I say something _serious_; your life might be at stake," he told her, again repressing the urge to just blast her with ice to make sure she would stay _put_.

At that Elsa perked up and narrowed her eyes, "well, no one ever warned me about someone wanting to _kill_ me," she retorted and Frost sighed deeply.

"That's a matter _I_ am going to take care of; it _doesn't _concern you," he replied, turning to look at her with an unreadable face.

Elsa gaped, her mouth opened in indignation and she huffed, "_my_ own life _doesn't_ concern me? Are you sure about that? I mean, if anybody wanted _you_ dead I bet _you_ would do something about it, wouldn't you?"

_I already did_, he replied in his mind but said something different out loud, "if you try to engage against forces you have no knowledge about you're going to get killed, as you might have noticed already, and that's not convenient to either of us."

"Convenient?!" Elsa exclaimed, "that's all there is to this, right? It's all about what's _convenient_ to you," she retorted really angrily.

Frost gaped at her, "since when is you-_not-dying_ only convenient to _me_?" He shook his head in disbelief, "can you please, for once in your life, consider what I'm saying _without_ believing it to be a conspiracy or a way to pick a fight? You don't want to die and I don't want you to die, can't we agree in at least that?" his patience was thinning, and Elsa was vaguely aware that that was the most he had heart the Frost Prince ever say. She was surprised to find she was actually considering what he had said; it wasn't as if that was changing who she was, but it still surprised her. She hated to admit he had a point.

But she didn't say it; instead she crossed her arms across her chest and averted her gaze in what looked like a pout, but of course, the queen wasn't pouting. She didn't pout and much less in front of Jack Frost. Said man snickered at the face, for a brief moment remembering another small girl who would make a similar one. He was quick to push the memory away and compose his face; it was no good to bring those memories back, as beautiful as they were, because they were also the most painful.

And so Jack Frost moved towards the door, "now rest well, you're going to need it," he told the queen and exited the room. Outside he found North and Tooth waiting expectantly, the fairy a living mass of nerves. She was quick to dart back into the room as soon as he went out, and the two men stayed staring at each other for a long while.

"Who is the young lass, Jack?" he asked, cautiously but with a spark of mirth in his eyes.

"She's _meant_ to be my bride," Frost replied, indifferent and detached, bracing himself for what was to come. The big man's eyes widened.

"Then she is in grave danger," Nicholas said while his eyes narrowed.

"I know, but I'll protect her," the price retorted as he grabbed his cape and put it over his shoulders.

"You're not saying…. You can't…" North started, his eyes widening again when he realized what the prince was going to do. "You shouldn't go alone," he warned, remembering the times a young boy had been hurt by the hands of his _cold_ father. Now he wasn't a young boy, and many protection laws had been designed to keep _him_ from harm, but still no one really knew what the former Winter King was going to do once he was alone with Jack, who was still, technically, a child.

"I'm going alone," the prince interrupted North, "it's time I pay Old Man Winter a visit."

* * *

"Are you okay?" the Tooth Fairy asked for the hundredth time in less than an hour to the queen, who grew increasingly uncomfortable with the attention the fairy was giving her.

"I'll be fine Tooth, just relax," Elsa kept trying to calm the fairy, but the episode had been apparently too much for her nerves. And being someone who was constantly moving around, the extra stress didn't help to sit her down.

"I can't," Tooth replied curtly, as if it wasn't obvious, "how _dare _he do something like this? I never believed he could sink so _low_," she was muttering, clearly upset.

Elsa rolled her eyes, trying her hardest not to groan; her head was starting to ache again and the anxiousness of the fairy wasn't helping. Suddenly, the window opened gently and a warm breeze entered the room. _Wait… warm?_ Yes, indeed; Toothiana's jaw fell as she mouthed a clear 'oh-oh'. The queen didn't miss this, but before she could question further, a woman made her appearance, a woman Elsa knew very well.

In front of her stood the always might Mother Earth in all her glory, with a beautiful flowing dress that resembled an autumn forest. Her head this time was tied up high on her head in a perfect bun that only hardened her facial features. Elsa immediately straightened up in the bed, squaring her shoulders and raising her chin, even if the simple movements caused her pain

Mother Earth bowed, for once without mockery, and then assessed the hurt princess, "apparently I've arrived too late," she said in a low voice, making both ladies raise an eyebrow. "You can leave us Toothiana, no harm will come to Queen Elsa," she said to the fairy who was about to retort something not-so-nice, but Elsa shot her a quick glance that made her shut up. Suddenly, the neutral, normal gaze the queen displayed towards her, which always was tinted with a bit of amused affection, had turned to steal. Tooth was surprised, but didn't comment on it and left silently, closing the door behind her even if she was reluctant.

Elsa then squared her shoulders once again, straightening to the full height she could reach in her condition while glaring not so subtly at Mother Earth. She wasn't surprised by the hostility of the queen at all; in fact, she had almost been expecting it. This woman was responsible of Elsa's abduction, it was because of her that she never got to say goodbye to her sister and that she was taken away from her home. It helped no one to hold eternal grudges, especially if one was directed to immortal beings that could crush her with a flick of her wrist, but the queen couldn't help feel the resentment she had locked up beginning to boil.

"I came to see how you were doing," Mother Earth started, trying to start a polite conversation, "you must know that we never had any ill will towards you."

Elsa couldn't help but snort, "right, because kidnapping people from their beds in the dead of the night shows no sign of _ill will_."

"I believe I owe you an apology for that," Mother Earth bowed slightly again.

Elsa rolled her eyes, of she could, she would've start pacing the floor; "right, because you already have what you wanted. I thought I was being very straight forward, doing things the right way and facing the problems to find a favorable solution; but then you come and do everything backwards and all my efforts were for nothing. If you wanted to prove how powerful you are, congratulations, you made your point," she made a gesture with her hands that covered her entire body and stopped pacing to face her. "Let me ask you something, if you could've done that in the first place, why didn't you do it before? You could've saved yourselves a lot of _embarrassment_, right?"

Mother Earth didn't like the queen's tone, but she supposed her complaints were backed up. To some extent, if not everything, what Elsa was saying was true. She had acted correctly, as every queen should've, and to get back at her they acted out of spite. Seeing it like that, the wisest seemed to be the twenty one year old woman, instead of the millionth year immortal who gave the idea.

Seraphina frowned, "I understand your anger, your resentment, but you should respect the person standing before you," she chastised.

"Yes, like you respected me in my own kingdom, if I'm not mistaken," Elsa replied curtly.

Mother Earth pursed her lips, but then she smirked slightly, "I've always admired women with courage and bravery; you are a very strong person, you have presence…" she tilted her head to assess the queen and then walked towards the bed where she lied, doing a broad movement with her arms, "even like _that_ you still defy me and show authority; that is, in all honesty, impressive," she complimented.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Elsa asked puzzled, wondering what that woman wanted with her… after all, she was being _nice-r_.

Mother Earth then came to stand right next to the queen, "I believe you're going to make a great Winter Queen, which brings me back to the reason I came here today. There are some immortals who won't like _that_; you'll have to gain their respect, just like Jack did many years ago."

That comment took the queen _completely_ by surprise, "what do you mean?" she asked, suddenly breathless and a bit scared, dreading what she was about to hear.

Mother Earth chuckled mirthlessly while she started pacing, "in an immortal life, things like greed and ambition can become very dangerous. When someone is going to live forever, what stops him, her or it from owning _everything_?" she stayed silent for a few moments, letting her words sink in. "Do you know who attacked you?"

Elsa's eyes widened, "how did you know about that?" The queen almost groans in frustration when Mother Earth raised an eyebrow in a silent _seriously? You're asking that?_ Which prompted the queen to explain herself, "this could've happened any other way, but you know it was an attack, how?"

"Oh, dear, who do you think you're talking to?" Mother Earth chuckled before composing herself, not really expecting an answer, "you haven't answered my question though."

Elsa pondered it over a few minutes, while the ever patient Mother Earth observed like an eagle; finally she sighed and nodded shyly, "the only thing I know is that it was Frost's father."

Mother Earth nodded thoughtfully, as if measuring how much she'd tell, before speaking again. "His name is Old Man Winter, and as you probably guessed, or knew, he will try to _kill you_," she started and the queen had to repress the urge to add some sarcasm into the conversation. "He's dangerous, and very powerful. His powers can rival mine, and if he could he would kill you in seconds; you have to be _very_ careful from now on."

Elsa wanted to pull at her hair, "but _why_ does he want me dead? What did I _ever _do to him? And why hasn't he killed me if he is _that_ powerful?" for the first time voicing her concerns, the queen felt like a child all over again when her parents hide something from her.

"It's not against you, but against the threat that you pose," Mother Earth patiently explained, "many years ago there was chaos over the Earth, and the seasons were completely deranged. The last king to ever be in control of the whole world was Old Man Winter, before I arrived and dethroned him. He could never overpower me, he still can't, but his craving for power never stopped and now you are threating _that_ power he craves so much. I've contained his as well as I can, with prohibitions, laws and regulations, but those have always _holes_ in them."

Elsa was stunned, and then she felt outraged, "are you saying that I'm just another pawn in this _sick game_ you play?" she all but yelled.

Mother Earth turned her back to the queen and went to the window, then she smiled sadly while she turned to look at Elsa once again, "my dear, that's the reason you were even _born_," she said before standing up in the window sill. "You have been warned; it was a pleasure having this chat with you" she said before dematerializing into the air right in front of the queen's eyes, leaving her angry and confused. _Why me?_

* * *

Jack Frost had to do two important things that day. Besides checking the progression on winter in certain parts of the world and controlling the other _seasonals_ that wanted to go astray, he had to report to go to Old Man Winter. The first thing was done, the seconds he dreaded. It had been a little bit over sixty years since they had seen each other and that wasn't an experience worth treasuring. Still, he had to make sure that his father would _stay away_ from Queen Elsa of Arandell.

And so he found himself flying towards the Himalaya Mountains where Old Man Winter had decided to establish after his _forced_ retirement; even when Jack was sure that he was just waiting for him to screw up. Unluckily for him, Frost wasn't stupid and he knew how to handle himself. He arrived and there was a blizzard; anyone who knew the Old Man knew for certain that when there was a blizzard, there was trouble. Such was his reputation, and the reason everyone feared the Winter Court, even mortals.

More servants made of ice welcomed him into the palace, only these were designed to intimidate but the prince paid them no mind. A long time ago he feared them, but not anymore. He walked all the way towards the 'throne' room, because according to Old Man Winter he would _never_ cease being a king. That was the reason Jack Frost had the title of _prince_, even when he had assumed the throne and its responsibilities many years ago.

The Old Man was lounging comfortably, apparently nonchalantly, in a really tall chair that simulated the throne that was in the Winter Court. He was a tall spirit; he was very thin, and one could say he was _weak_. He didn't have the appearance of an _old man_ at all, so please don't get confused. He could appear to be any age he wanted, but he usually chose one of a middle aged man, with a trimmed beard, high cheekbones and small, hard eyes; but his skin was tinted slightly blue and his hair strikingly white, just because he didn't want to resemble humans in _any_ way other than to spite Jack Frost, mocking the boy with the appearance any father should have had.

The _prince_ made a stiff courtesy, "Father," he acknowledge, but his tone was as cold and detached as always, even if tinted with some resentment.

Old Man Winter turned his face to see him, feigning surprise, "oh, _my son_, I didn't see you there. You are most _welcome_," he exclaimed feigning surprise, opening his arms in a welcoming manner, with a wide smile that showed all of his white teeth but didn't reach his eyes. It was a mask.

Jack Frost wasn't in the mood to play around, so he just decided to go straight to the point, "I believe we need to talk and address the recent _issue_ concerning your _pet_."

Winter frowned and stood up, "oh, you're always so _cold_; don't tell me you didn't even miss me?" Jack avoided answering that question, and so the _king_ finally lost his façade. His face lost the smile, his relaxed demeanor became stiffer and he straightened his back and shoulders. "I will never understand what motivated you to _agree_ to lend your magic to those mortals. They don't deserve the help of those like us, who belong to the _elite_ of the world," he continued, standing up and pacing around Jack like a vulture around a corpse.

"That is no excuse for you to try and _murder_ _my fiancée,_" the prince spat, glaring at his father, prompting Old Man Winter to snort.

"Oh, so now she's _your fiancée_? If I'm not mistake she didn't even want the marriage in the first place and you were completely indifferent towards her presence," the _king_ mocked with a sly smile, which caused Jack to tense and take a sharp breath.

"You've been spying on me," he stated because it wasn't a question; Jack was as certain of that fact as he was certain the sky was blue.

"Oh, I've been doing it for years! You know, just waiting for the right moment in which Mother Earth will finally see the real nuisance _you_ are and give me back _my_ throne," Old Man Winter spat, apparently nonchalantly, but with the intention of hurting Jack Frost.

"You can't break your end of the deal," Jack warned, his stone and eyes hard and contained, his face completely devoid of emotion, masking everything that would make him appear _weak_ before _his father's_ eyes.

"You mean the deal Mother Earth _forced _me to make?" he snorted, "I can't hurt _you_; no one said anything about the _human_," Old Man Winter retorted while looking at his nails, as if searching for some imperfection.

"So you don't deny it," Jack countered.

"Why should I? Let the girl know who I am, let her know what she's going to be dealing with, let her know that with a snap of my fingers I can _destroy_ her," the _king_ mocked.

"Leave her _out_ of this, you're grudge is with _me_," Frost gave a step forward, stepping up for an innocent human girl. As much as she did her best to spite him and as much as she didn't like him, she wasn't evil and she didn't deserve to deal with a force like Old Man Winter's wrath.

"You got her _in _this mess since you lent her your magic, _my magic_! If she wasn't strong enough to be even _born_, you should've just let her die. But no, you had to play along with Mother Earth and now you'll use _the human_ to get _my throne_, a throne that I shouldn't have had to share in the first place," Old Man Winter was fuming, tired of childish games and tricks.

Jack Frost couldn't help but smirk, "you should've thought so when you decided to screw my mother," he retorted, knowing that was a sore spot for the Old Man, even if the prince did hate retorting to _that_. Winter had dedicated an entire century in efforts to try to convince Jack that humans were nothing more than mere scum… even his own mother; his _human_ mother. Of course Jack Frost never fell for that old trick, even if he had to fake he did.

But the Old Man Winter was an old man, and he was really clever; he could play that game too. "I'm going to tell you what's going to happen, _Jack_; you're going to outlive the human girl, you're going to watch her die because she will _never_ be like you. You're going to watch her die just like you watched your worthless mother die _that_ winter along with your useless sister, and all because of _you_," Jack's face remained immutable even when every word his _beloved_ _daddy_ was like a hot iron on his raw skin. "And at the end of it all, you're going to die too, and the throne will once again belong to _me_. I can wait, you _know_ I'm a patient man; I'm as old as the Earth itself, and _Mother Earth_ can vouch for that."

Jack Frost listened, took the impact of every word without so much of a flinch, as he learned to do when dealing with Old Man Winter. His eyes didn't tear up anymore, his soul when breaking didn't hurt; it just left him feeling numb. And so, he could find the strength to reply to that after the long silence had extended too much, "then I'm afraid I'll have to keep your _pet_ in confinement. It was nice seeing you¸ _dad_," and then he turned to leave.

Old Man's Winter façade also returned, "of course, _my son_, I hope you come visit soon. Say hello to your pretty _fiancée_, tell her to be careful with the ice, _it can be slippery_."

With that, the heavy doors of the room closed with a resounding _thump_ and Jack Frost exited the palace on his own, taking flight again towards the Winter Court.

He would need to find the spy and destroy it; it had to be one of those ice made servants because it was easily camouflaged. Old Man Winter could do that or more with only his gaze, so it wasn't as hard to believe. When he was arriving, though, he caught a glimpse of Mother Earth, sliding away from the Winter Court silently. He had to resist the urge to groan.

* * *

**And so here it ends. I had to make it up somehow for last chapter's cliff, so here I tried to give more insight into Jack's past. I finally introduced you to the a** his father is, and later you'll know _why_ he acts like that and _why_ he really hates his son. So this was a chapter of revelations and a huge step has been taken that will, I hope, be the start of the developing of Jack's and Elsa's relationship. Hopefully, I showed a kinder side to Jack, that despite being indifferent and mocking and cruel, he doesn't really like killing. I wanted to show that he has some kind of sense of commitment; he wanted Elsa to be his bride, then she's under _his_ protection. Even if the only one who can be mean to her is _him_, somehow he has the right, but no one else does. I don't believe this is a contradiction, but a part of Jack that had yet to be shown. I'd like to believe that we would all act different if we found someone under our charge is in danger, which is most likely the situation represented in here. Now, with the replies:**

***** **ForeverDelighted: Thanks! As always I'm super-duper happy you enjoyed the chapter! I also really hope you liked this chapter, in which the two of them can actually have some kind of conversation without **_**that many**_** hostilities.**

***** **lovingmaddieb: Thank you! I'm really glad and happy and giddy you liked this story **_**that**_** much. I never thought it would grow like… like… well, like **_**this**_**. I feel honestly flattered, and I hope you really liked this chapter as well.**

***** **ScremingMyLullabys: Thank you! Not only for the support, but for the compliments too. I'm really glad you're liking the story and the way I write, despite the occasional mistakes I've made and such. I'm also happy that you like **_**this**_** Jack, which is so different and yet similar to the original. I hope you liked this chapter and this sort of introduction I made about his relationship with his father, who's not a mystery anymore!**

***res123: Hey! What do you think about Jack's father? As I said, he's a character that has appeared in other fanfictions, not necessarily of Jelsa but in the ROTG fandom I've read about him more than a couple of times and I thought 'well, why not?' and so Old Man Winter was made his father. Jack's story will be revealed more later on, I'm still trying to figure out the exact **_**when**_** and **_**how**_** that's going to happen, but I'm hoping that you'll like it. I started reading the beginning of Shift, yes, but I stopped for whatever reason I can't remember; I may resume reading it, I don't know. Thank you for the review and the support, as always! ****J**

***rokusan23: Oh, my! I didn't know! I looked for hours for a mythological snow beast that would match the hideousness I had in mind but I couldn't find any, and so I decided 'this is fanfiction, I can create my monster' and such. It was my first time doing something of the sort, describing a beast you know, but I'm glad you liked it. If it resembles the Pokémon, then it's great too; the point was making you picture a really big and ugly monster!**

***Akari Marvell: Thank you! For everything you said, actually and for the support you're showing to the story. I'm really happy you like it, and now you get your own reply too!**

***** **BleachLover11: I'm glad you liked it! And I hope you liked this one also!**

***** **VK: Yay! I'm really, really happy you enjoyed it! You have no idea how I struggled with the fight and how many times I changed it and modified it. I think in the end it turned out fine and I'm really relieved to know you liked it. Tell me your thoughts on this chapter, where Jack shows another side of him I hadn't shown yet. And what about your opinion on his father? That's something I'd like to hear too.**

***Cailidevel: Really? I mean, seriously? I'm sorry if everyone turned to look at you with weird faces because of me, maybe I should've warned you hehehe. Still I'm reallt glad you liked it and you have no idea how much I laughed at the face you had when you saw me. I'm sorry, it's just so funny!**

***** **FirePrincess96: I know, but I had a good laugh out of it and I kept my promise of uploading today! Maybe, if the fairy of inspiration strikes me, I might upload today another chapter, but I believe that a thirteen pages long one will satisfy you enough to let me live another day. And by the way, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!**

***** **First Movement: Yeah, the thing about cliffhangers is that I hate them when I read them, and yet I love writing them. I really like reading your reactions to them, if I'm honest, and I'm sorry for that; it's not my intention to make you feel anxious or stressed.**

***** **manh: Well, Jack is not that much of an a** on this one, does that counts? Hehe it's not to make you suffer, I promise, but I want the story to be believable and if I make them fall for each other now you might not like it. I'm trying to pace things up a bit though.**

***pam-pa-da-da-dam: Thank you for the support. I'm really glad you like the story so far, and I hope you liked this chapter as well.**

***Milotech: Don't worry about it, here's another one! ;)**

***** **Madison . Leggett: He was worried about her. Even when he needs a bride, and even when he threatens her, he would never want her **_**dead**_**. Actually, if anything, he'd like to protect her because the picture is much bigger than what I'm really letting on, and Jack knew he was dragging Elsa into that. In my mind, Jack Frost still has this honorable side in which yes, he makes her miserable, but he doesn't really harm her badly. He would never let her die because she's done nothing wrong, she's innocent, even when he still sees her as a way to get what he wants. With time, though, I'm expecting that to change.**

***Follia Della Rovina: Well, now Jack's father's identity has finally being revealed! I hope you liked this chapter and the introduction of the biggest immortal and a** to ever walk the Earth. Thanks for the support, I'm really happy you like the story so far!**

***Otakugirl 13: It would've been a nice concept, but still I can't imagine Jack doing that. Even when he himself got injured, he used to call North for help; again, something happened that made Jack close himself and he even pushed Santa away. I am planning on Elsa getting trained, because of the circumstances. My dA account has another name that I won't be telling because I'm not good at art and I don't like it, even when I don't have _that many_ pictures in it. I hope you had fun in the movies with your siblings! What did you watch?**

***PriscilaOrglene: Well, his father is completely consumed by greed and ambition and Jack's represents a threat to that. Old Man Winter never planned to have a son, he didn't want to share the throne, and now he has no choice. His the real villain/antagonist of this story.**

***HopelessRomantic183: Yay! A long review! Now, where to start the reply? Well, I think you had your solid foundations to say it was North, but I am one of those persons who can't imagine an Evil!North. I mean, I just see him as the grandfather I never had, and so I tried to picture him like that. And so Old Man Winter was born for this story as a really selfish character who really believes humans are nothing worth anything. I mean, if anyone lived for thousands and thousands of years, the life span of a human is truly short, so he really believes his superior to them. I also didn't like Olaf in the movie, so I wouldn't have liked to make Elsa build a snowman to keep her company and sane. I wanted to let Elsa know instead that not everyone that is immortal is arrogant, or evil, or has second intentions; instead, she finds this bubbly fairy who chatters her heart out about everything and that in some way might remind her of Anna. I also won't apologize anymore for longer chapters, instead I'll try to write them as long form now on. I'm really happy you like this story so much and I really love to read your reviews, thank you!**

***SecretSuccubus: Now prepare yourself for a long reply: I'm trying to reply to everyone, to show them that I _read_ what they write about the story and that I like when they do. In that way they can also ask me stuff and know I'm going to reply to them, even if I can't answer the questions. And don't hide, I actually laughed a lot when you wrote about the long-er chapters and I just _had_ to make that comment, but is nothing out of ill will; I'm actually going to try to make them longer if it pleases you, it's not a problem with me. And when I read you writing this time about bitter Jack, I was like 'YES' someone else sees what I see!**

**And it's funny because I do like angst, but of a completely different type. I don't like depression, but if someone is hurt or dies I enjoy reading the reactions of the characters towards it.**

**I still believe that Jack, even in his original universe, is more powerful than Elsa but because he was alone for so long he had to learn self-control. He couldn't afford to let his powers go _kaput_ especially when people were in danger, and that's something Elsa didn't have in her own universe. She never learned how to control them or keep them in check, even when I blame that directly on her parents; I believe that raw power isn't what really matters, if you can control _that much _ power to do what _you_ command and not the other way around, then you have more power over yourself and you have more self-controlled. That's the way I see it, and that's why I believe Jack is more powerful than Elsa.**

**Going to the next point, I hope you liked the choice I made for Jack's father. In other FanFics I've read in which he appears, he's usually portrayed as the biting cold that causes one to lose limbs and/or die, while Jack is the gentle snow kids like to play with. Using that very same reasoning, I chose Old Man Winter to be Jack Frost's father: in short, completely opposite personalities.**

**Your theories were quite accurate, if you think about it. About the confrontation and such; and maybe yes, there needed to be an attack for Jack to show a kinder side of himself, because I believe in this chapter he wasn't _that_ mean towards her. If anything, he was making a valid point and Elsa did act somewhat childish. And finally, are you kidding me?! Why would I mind if you recommended this on dA? Actually I think it's pretty awesome you deemed it to the standards of dA at all, and it completely flattered me, thank you so much! This is it for the long reply, I hope you liked this chapter and that you'll write another review with your opinions in it.**

***** **ms . alianne: Thanks! Your suggestion of Loki actually made me laugh, and somehow I thought it would've been a good idea, but Old Man Winter already had the place and so I couldn't. But he would have been a really nice and handsome villain, if you ask me; after all, your speaking to a Loki fangirl!**

***Rinhearts: I'm really glad you liked the fighting scene; I struggled with it a lot. And that is an understatement. I hope you liked this chapter, and for once Elsa and Jack don't fight and pull at their hairs on this chapter! I take that is a good sign, right?**

***Bleep Bloop1: Hehe, maybe I did had an overdose of inspiration or something like that; I love drama and I really wanted to introduce the villain in a completely epic way. And no, Manny is not Jack's father. ****J**

***** **Zejo: Thanks! I'm really happy you liked it. And yes, it was a really eventful chapter as well as this one, which I hope you enjoyed as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

***** **Samanthafun4: Nope, he's actually one of the good guys ;).**

***** **Bigby the Big Bad Wolf: Hey! I know I already replied to your short-then-big review but it felt just wrong not including you in these replies. I really hope you liked this chapter and how the story is developing; I hope you liked this villain even if you hate him (that was the point after all) and just to assure you that he will get what he deserves… on time. It'd be really awesome to hear your thought on this!**

**And so this is another end of another chapter; this one was also long which I hope pleased most of you. You should know that I love reading your reviews and I'm completely astonished by the way this has grown. I know it's a different kind of Jelsa story, much deeper in meaning and plot, but I like those and I usually love to write them. I believe is a way of analyzing a character and making him be, in a way, mine.**

**Thanks for the support of all those new followers, all those new people who added this story to their favorites, and all those who are reading it without having done any of those things.**

**Until we meet again,**

**ClearEyes.**


	11. Chapter Ten

**Chapter Ten**

* * *

**Hello beautiful people! Early update because I'm not sure if I'll be able to update tomorrow morning and I don't want to upload tomorrow evening. Here's another chapter in which some interesting will occur. First, because somebody asked for some hurt/comfort and the moment seemed proper, I wrote something of the sort. You'll have to read to know between which characters, of course. Then there is a challenge; a challenge that arose from a match of chess my brother and I had two days ago and that I won! Because I liked the _how_ I won, and _how_ the pieces ended, I tried to make something similar in this. Why is there a challenge in the first place? I won't tell, you'll have to read it!**

**I'd like to thank all of you for the support you've been showing; I know I say (write) it every time, but it's because it's true and I don't think you have any idea of _how_ much it means to me. As I promised, I tried to make the chapters longer, this one oscillates between the twelve and thirteen pages with five thousand and something words. I hope you ENjOY reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. And so, without further ado, I present the much waited chapter ten!**

* * *

Jack arrived in the central courtyard to be received by a frantic Toothiana. Before she could say anything, though, Jack Frost raised his hand and halted her. "I know, I saw her leave," he replied dryly.

"She came to see Elsa," the fairy then provided, shifting nervously in her place.

"I figured as much," he replied, "she knows when I'm not around." He moved to enter the palace, taking his cloak and handing it to one of the many ice servants and headed to his personal study. Toothiana was following him apprehensively. "How is she?" he then asked, obviously referring to the queen.

"She's fine… wait, why are you asking? You don't ask unless you suspect something, _anything_, could be wrong…" her voice faded and she got lost in thought. The fluttering of her wings died down slowly as she pieced two and two and came to a shocking realization she wished wasn't true. "Where are you returning from?"

Jack rolled his eyes as he went to the window, "you know _exactly_ where I went."

Tooth gasped, bringing her hands to her mouth; "why didn't you tell me? I could've gone with you!"

Jack turned abruptly to face Tooth, startling her, "no, that was something _I_ needed to deal with _alone_," he replied and turned back to the window, his back once again towards Tooth.

"Is that why you're so tense right now?" Jack didn't reply, instead just stared at the barren landscape. "What did he tell you?"

Jack snorted mirthlessly, "why are you asking all of this when you _already_ know?"

"And you believed him?" Tooth retorted to which Jack gritted his teeth and didn't reply. "You can't keep blaming yourself; it was not your fault! You were only a child," she pleaded, trying to make Jack feel better.

"But it was because of _my_ powers," he replied softly, "they might've lived longer and better if _I_ hadn't been around." His eyes were hard as he glared through the glass and to the snow outside of his window, his fists closed tightly. Outside, the weather was starting to change, reacting to his mood.

"Jack, you need to calm down," Tooth said placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, "everything he says is meant to provoke you, to make you react like _this_," she took a deep breath, "he wants you to make a _mistake_."

Jack closed his eyes tight and forced himself to take deep breaths and to calm his mind. When he felt he had managed to calm the forming storm outside also, he opened them again. "_How _is she?" he repeated, now concerning about Mother Earth's visit specifically. For someone who didn't know her, she could appear really cold and ruthless, while she was just being plain _blunt_. Still, she was always the bearer of not so pleasant news, so she must have spoken with the queen of something rather serious; he had a hunch he knew what they had talked about.

"When I left her she was fine, even if in pain; she is a very strong girl," he hummed softly, not really listening after the _fine_ and distracted by his own thoughts. His memories were coming to him in flashes, those memories he worked really hard to keep locked up. Tooth perceived his mood, and she knew what to do. "I should probably go back to her, perhaps she needs something" the fairy said out of the blue and Jack felt sheer gratefulness at that.

"Yes, you probably should; she probably needs you right now," he said, his polite way of telling her to leave him, without being _him_ the one to kick her out.

Tooth stood in her place, though, moving nervously, "what did you tell her?" she tried asking, referring to the time the queen had been left alone with him, but from the glance Jack gave her she knew he wasn't going to answer her. He looked more tired than usual, vulnerable; and she knew he hated that. He didn't want anyone seeing his _weakness_ and so he shut everyone out. She slowly flew out of the room closing the door behind her, directing one last sad glance at the boy she strived to protect.

Once she was gone, Jack closed his eyes tightly, trying to push away the memories that threatened to overcome him. The effort made him groan, and he decided he needed to sleep if he didn't want to create a massive blizzard. And so, he picked up some stuff and went towards his chambers and locked the door, adding a block of ice just in case, so that no one would disturb him. He stashed some papers away, saved some stuff on their respective drawers, and changed into his night robes even if the sun was _just_ starting to set. He opened a single drawer in his bedside table and took out a brown leather pouch. He loosened the tie and opened it, revealing shinning golden dust; no, not dust, sand.

Vaguely he remembered it had been a long time since he had seen the Sandman, at least eighty years or something. He knew that he was constantly working and couldn't be bothered with pointless visits, but still the prince realized with nostalgia he missed them. He cursed under his breath; his memories were making him emotionally vulnerable, his shield was cracking. So, he stopped thinking and grabbed some dream sand before stashing the pouch away. He laid down on top of his bed and sprinkled the so needed sand on his face, falling asleep instantly.

* * *

Tooth was worried; she was always worried when it came to Jack. The fact that he had gone to Old Man Winter himself, alone, being well aware of the dirty tricks and spiteful words he could say… She always disapproved of Jack staying in the Winter Court with his father. She even spoke to mother Earth and volunteered her home.

Mother Earth, though, claimed that by being with Old Man Winter restricted his movements. He could not harm Jack publicly or even scheme something because the boy could hear, or even Toothiana herself. As an old saying said, keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. She had always calculative, and for official matters she usually knew how to keep her head cool. In the fairy's point of view, she didn't even care about endangering a little boy, as long as she could keep Old Man Winter in check. Which is why, when she saw her arriving that day, she was really surprised. When she said she wanted to see Elsa, Tooth had been downright alarmed.

_If she did anything to her_, Toothiana warned in her mind, damning the consequences of her tone and conveniently ignoring that Mother Earth overpowered her.

When she tried to tell her to leave, to save Elsa a _sour_ time, the queen had glared at her with such intensity that the fairy didn't say anything in the end. The resentment, the anger in those eyes wasn't directed toward Toothiana; she knew it, but still such a gaze made her blood run cold. Maybe she wasn't so defenseless after all… and after Mother Earth had left Elsa had said she wanted to be alone and shut the door _with ice_. Of course, she wasn't going to tell that to Jack, he had enough worries on him already.

On the way to Elsa's chambers, she passed through the kitchen. She prepared some tea and biscuits that she put in a tray and took with her. When she arrived, she knocked.

"Go away, Tooth, I told you I want to be alone," Elsa said, her voice strained and contained, faked.

"I know you _don't_ want to be alone right now, and that you're probably hungry. I brought you some tea and biscuits," she replied cheerfully, adding the last part with bribing tone. Tooth fidgeted nervously, thinking it may not have worked, when she heard the door unfreeze and the fairy then opened the door to reveal that half of the furniture of the room was encased in thick ice. "You shouldn't be using your powers," the fairy chastised softly while she made her way with the tray of food and placed in top of Elsa's bedside table.

Elsa huffed and turned her head from the concerned eyes of Toothiana, not daring to look at her in the eye, as if ashamed of _something_. That rang the alarm bells inside Tooth, because the queen was a forward person, someone who wanted to give her face and confront her problems. And yet, not it seemed as if she were hiding something, some dark secret that had just been revealed to her and she just was too embarrassed.

Toothiana flew softly to the other side of the bed and sat down next to the queen. She leaned against the wall, carefully folding her wings so that they wouldn't get hurt. She took the queen's hand in hers, squeezing softly to transmit comfort; "what did _she_ tell you?" she asked shyly.

Elsa sighed, looking miserable, her voice once again forced and strained, "she came to warn me," she started, "about the immortals who would want me dead. I knew that, I wasn't expecting to fit in immediately, but then she said something else that…" she sighed again and lowered her gaze to her hands, which were folded on her lap. She was trying her hardest not to break right there and then; she had endured so much, so far… she could still do so, even if she wasn't as certain as before.

Another soft, comforting squeeze from the Tooth Fairy told her to keep going, and so the queen continued, "besides letting me know that my life is in danger by one of the most powerful immortal entities out there, which on its own is frightening enough, she told me that _somehow_ I'm just a pawn in this… fight between her and Old Man Winter. My purpose of being born, of being allowed to live… am I really _only_ meant to do _that_?" the queen finished, her voice breaking in the end even when she tried to keep it even.

And then Tooth hugged her really tight. Embraced between the petites arms of the fairy, with the warm she so yearned, she couldn't hold it any longer and thick tears started flowing. Mother Earth's visit had been the last drop, and in that moment when she had started to wonder what her life _meant_… she couldn't believe it; she refused to believe it. The loss of her family, being away from home, the coldness of the place not only physical, but the lack of any type of warm in the castle with the exception of the bubbly Tooth Fairy… _why_ did it have to be her? Why must it be her the one to be snatched away, why did she have to freeze her sister's heart, why did her parents have to die, why, why, why did they have to ask for Mother Earth's magic? Overall, _why_ was everything happening to _her_? All she ever wanted was to be able to lead a relatively _normal_ life, and yet there she was. What did she _ever_ _do_ to deserve such a lonely fate?

For Tooth the current situation was way too familiar, more than it should've been; in fact, it felt almost like déjà vu. It had been three months since Jack had arrived to the Winter Court; Old Man Winter, wanting to rid Jack of whatever _humanity_ he had left had changed his name to Jack Frost, any other mention of his mother, his sister, his human family or his human village was going to be punished and in a moment of weakness the fairy had found Jack crying in a corner of his room. It had been a hard day of training, in which Old Man Winter had decided to _punish_ the kid for _every single thing_ he got wrong. He was only a boy! Of course he would make mistakes, but his father didn't stop. Tooth had to step in and take Jack away from him to avoid a serious injury.

The kid felt so lonely, wondering what had he ever done to deserve that? Was being born really the motive to have such a miserable life? Was he being punished for the sins of the cold man that claimed to be his father? Had it been really his fault, the death of his mother and sister? He knew it had to be, how else could he explain it? The winters before his powers appeared the winter's hadn't been as cold and crude… maybe it _was_ his fault, maybe he did _deserve_ to be burned in a pyre like his stepfather had claimed… or die by the ice of his father because he did everything _wrong_.

And in such state Tooth had found him in his room, hugging his knees in a dark corner, as if he just wanted to disappear, and she cradled him; she held him tight, she sang to him until he fell asleep, and she didn't leave. It was the first time in her life she stayed perfectly still for hours on end until dawn rose and the child woke up. But when he woke up something had already been broken, his eyes didn't shine as bright and his smile wasn't as wide. The fairy didn't want history repeating itself; she was not going to let Elsa lose her humanity or her feelings or her _life_ because of what Mother Earth told her.

And so she chose her words carefully, "you were born because your parents desired a child. You were a wanted daughter for them, and they craved you so much they asked for help. There's nothing _wrong_ with asking for help when you need it; there's no need to try to be strong _on your own_. Sometimes, you can draw strength from others around you, you can draw strength from me," Elsa sniffled and the fairy could feel her trembling, the tears wetting her feathers but in that moment it didn't mind at all. "Don't heed what Mother Earth told you. She is old, she is _cold_, never taking into account the feelings of others, but let me tell you that your purpose _is not_ to be a pawn. You are meant to do great things, and you can _choose_ the way you want to _play_. You can sit and wait for Mother Earth to dictate your movements," _like Jack did_, "or you can change the rules and play by your own. Even if she did help your parents, you are not her property; you are not one of the entities she can control and you do not belong _to_ her. You're _you_, and only _you_ decide _what_ you want to do."

Elsa had listened carefully, feeling something heavy lifting from her soul. She wiped her tears and sniffed, before breaking the hug and looking into the amethyst eyes of Tooth, "do you really believe so?" she asked shyly.

The fairy chuckled lightly, "no, I don't believe so; I know so," she said and the queen exhaled in relief.

"Well then," she said feeling some of herself returning from her hideout, "I won't break anymore and I won't listen to what Mother Earth, or Old Man Winter himself, or Jack Frost, tells me," she said with determination and Tooth smiled at her. This girl was stronger than what any of them gave her credit for, she was going to be fine as long as she believed it, and Tooth was going to make _sure_ she didn't stop believing it.

* * *

Jack Frost woke up feeling lighter. The dream sand worked wonders on him and it always made him feel better… until he woke up and realized that everything had been a dream. He couldn't be with his sister, or with his mother… he was _alone_, and he would always be that way. He stared at his ceiling for a few minutes, gathering his strength to be able to go through another day of the life that had been thrown upon him. But it was useless living in the past and it helped no one, so he buried his emotions and his memories before standing up, changing his clothes and going to his private studio.

He was going to go check up on Elsa's injuries later so that he could give North a full report when he returned in a few days to undo the stitches. On the meantime, he needed to review his maps and mark the course of the wind, to wherever the winter was meant to start and from wherever the winter was meant to finish. Then he'd do his rounds, and probably pay a visit to Mother Earth, and then he had to feed the beast. He groaned only from thinking about the work he needed to do, because apart from that he needed to find the spy, destroy it and find security measures to protect the queen from _his_ father.

His thoughts were interrupted by a shy knock and he didn't need to ask who it was to know. The only breathing people in the palace were the queen, himself and Toothiana; seeing as the queen was bedridden and would be until her ankle healed the only one who'd be knocking on his door was the fairy. He didn't want to see her, he didn't want to talk to her, but he knew telling her so would be futile; he didn't answer, as usual when he was upset, so Toothiana opened the door.

She had a tray of food in her hands and flew it to the desk; Jack still acted as if she wasn't even there. "Please Jack," she said grabbing his hand, "don't shut me out."

He moved it away as if it burned him, "don't go there Toothiana," he said calling her with her full name, as he did when he wasn't in mood of playing along with her.

But the fairy had never been one to _just_ give up, "you need to eat, you need to come out of your shell; you can try to find happiness with a beautiful woman who feels as lonely as you do, why won't you give _that_ a chance?" she pleaded.

Jack closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, clenching his fists, "if I get too close I'm going to kill her, she's a _human_," he replied.

"But she's not weak," the fairy retorted, "You have to admit that she is _anything_ but weak."

Jack wanted to listen, he wanted the loneliness to end, but he knew better than to let it happen. "And still she won't survive if she engages against my full power, let alone Winter's. _I_ am going to protect her and I won't let her die, even if it means that I can _never_ get too close."

Tooth sighed, "so you're still going to be distant, and detached, and downright _cold_?" she asked, feeling pissed at the stubbornness of the boy.

"I am the embodiment of winter, Tooth; I am supposed to be cold, I am supposed to be a sad season with no warmth, and this is what I was _always_ meant to be. If it means she'll stay _alive_, then yes," he replied finally daring to look into Tooth's eyes, his mask well put into place. He was never meant to _love_, his life had proven that. Everyone he had ever loved had ended up dead, and even when he _needed_ the human queen to be his bride, he would never cross the thin line called _love_. If it was for his protection or hers, he wasn't certain.

Toothiana huffed and exited the room, going back to the kitchens to prepare the breakfast for Elsa who would be soon waking up. When he was alone again, Jack groaned and flopped into his chair, pressing his fingers against his forehead. He wanted to _break_ something, so now he had another thing to add to his already many chores: go and release some steam up in the mountains.

* * *

Five days passed and Elsa was surely getting better. The potion North had given her worked miracles and she could feel her strength coming back. She still couldn't get out of bed though. Nicholas had come a couple of days prior to remove the thread in her forehead, and she had discovered with great satisfaction that the salve did its work and now she only had a tiny rosy line that could be very well disguised with her hair, so she didn't worry about it.

On that day, she had been well rested and her body didn't ache as much, so she could actually speak to the big man. She discovered he was a toy maker… and a magician's apprentice. He lived in a village called Santoff Claussen with his teacher called Ombric making toys for the kids and learning spells, as well as some things about healing, including the preparations of salves and potions as well as spells. He was widely known and appreciated among the immortals as well as among the mortals, as the queen also found out.

"What's your story, Queen Elsa?" he then addressed the queen, when he had finished telling her his stories of adventure that left her with her eyes wide open in sheer _wonder_.

In response to the question, her eyes dimmed and she looked away, "I don't know if I should be called that anymore, now my sister is going to be queen while I… I'm not anymore," she said, for the first time actually thinking about the matter, some part of her still affected by what Mother Earth had told her.

To her surprise, North laughed merrily, "there are queens that _learn _how to be queens, while there are queens who are _born_ to be so. You, my dear, were _born_ a queen; your manners, your strength, the way you walk and impose respect. That way, even without a kingdom you are still a queen," he said and Elsa blushed.

"T-thanks," she stuttered, never having gotten used to flattery or compliments and feeling awkward because she didn't know what to say or do afterwards. What do you say to someone who said you were pretty, or smart, or tall, or thin? It's like… well… okay, thanks and bye, which left her feeling awkward. Still the big man just laughed it off, without mockery; instead it was as if he was laughing _with_ her.

And so she proceeded to tell him the story of her life; how she needed to keep her powers a secret because of an accident with Anna, of how she discovered that love was strongest than anything else, and finally how she ended up as Jack Frost's bride. North was left with his mouth hanging open. He couldn't believe the girl before her, and so he asked her to make something with the ice. They spent the last few hours before he left with Elsa making different demonstrations of what she could do; nothing too taxing or dangerous, of course.

"You hold a great power, Queen Elsa," North told her as he was leaving, "but you know not how to control it. Perhaps you should find someone to help you, to _train_ you," he suggested and Elsa's eyes widened.

"Would you do it if I asked?" she asked Nicholas, hoping against hope he would agree.

North chuckled, "of course I would, only if I could," he replied which left the queen puzzled.

"What do you mean?" she asked, not quite understanding what he was trying to say.

"The magic I use is one that humans can learn," North started, "the magic you possess, your power is one of the most ancient on the Earth and you were _born_ with it. Even if I wanted to help you with your training, I wouldn't know how."

"But then who could train me? I doubt Mother Earth would agree to such a thing," Elsa mused with a frown, not only did she might not agree, she didn't want to have to ask _that woman_ for help.

"Well, you can always go to the man who gave you your magic," North supply.

Elsa was honestly stunned, and astonished; Jack Frost? Really? That man could barely look at her, and for the way he had been avoiding her like the plague itself he must have been pretty pissed with her stunt. She had to admit she was a little scared too; she had seen the extent of his powers when he caged the beast and she was sure that that display was only the tip of the iceberg. She gulped. "Do you think _he_ would teach me?" she asked defiantly and then scoffed, trying to shake the uncomfortable feeling that settled upon her.

"Yes," North replied putting on his coat, "if you know _how_ to ask."

Elsa raised an eyebrow, "and _how _is that? I don't _know_ him," she retorted, lifting her arms in annoyance.

North made a thoughtful face, even when he already knew the answer. Then, his eyes shone with _that_ spark of mirth they usually held and winked at Elsa, "a challenge." After that he bowed deeply and left the room, his shoulders shaking with contained laughter.

And that's how we found our queen on the fifth day of her confinement, when she felt her ankle was strong enough to support her, holding an ice cane she made and limping her way towards Jack Frost's personal studio, where she knew she would find him. The queen had to beg, plead and convince Tooth to tell her how to get there, she had to invent a million excuses, but in the end she was finally in the end. Oh, she'd never hear the end of it from the fairy.

She stood before the door, licking her lips nervously, before adopting her most regal pose and knocking hard on the door.

* * *

Jack had been avoiding the queen. With the few exceptions of visiting to fill the reports, or to be there when North _was_, he avoided her chambers altogether. Instead he focused on his other's tasks to pass the time. And he was peacefully tracing his route for the winter in Europe when someone knocked on the door. The sound was strange, stronger than it should've been if Tooth had knocked, so his gut knew it had to be the queen. Besides, if he remembered correctly, the fairy had to check on her palace and her mini-fairies, having realized that going only at night didn't give her enough time to keep up with her duties. He doubted she'd return at all that day, which only led to the same conclusion. He thought it was extremely strange, before deciding it wasn't worth the trouble. He didn't answer, because the human girl wasn't Tooth and she wasn't going to just walk in. Perhaps she'd think he wasn't there. But the queen didn't stop, and she wouldn't leave. So after a few minutes of unstopping knocking, what little Tooth had rubbed in her took charge and she opened the door a tiny bit, enough for her to see _him _inside. Jack had to resist the urge to roll his eyes.

"You shouldn't be out of bed," he told her without lifting his eyes form the map he had in front of him, wanting to get her to leave by being, as always, rude to her. The queen didn't reply as she made her way slowly towards the desk; he realized she was limping and probably in pain and thought about motioning to a chair in front of the desk he was working on for her to sit on, but that would kill the purpose of the whole _being rude_ thing, as well as the avoidance.

Elsa leaned on the back of the chair, suddenly nervous. She knew what he had to do; she had spent the last two days planning what to say, what _challenge_ to make, because she understood what North had wanted to say. Jack Frost was a proud man, he would never resist the urge to win and rub it in her face (she was wrong, just so you know), but it had been way easier in her mind.

"Did you just walk all the way across the palace only to sit there and do nothing? You could use the chambers you _demanded_ for the exact same thing," he told her, raising an eyebrow, mocking her as usual. And then she knew he wasn't mad at her and she _almost_ sighed in relief, _almost_ being the key word. Still it didn't mean that the conversation would go smoothly at all.

"I came to ask you something," she said which prompted Jack to raise his eyebrow even more, skeptically, daring her to say something, _anything_; "I want you to train me and teach me how to use my powers."

His face lost all mockery and turned dead serious, "and why would you request such a thing?" he asked, a bit defensively and suddenly more tense, "you don't need _any_ of that."

"Because someone wants to _kill_ me, as you may know," she started, "and I want to be able to _protect_ myself."

Frost scoffed, "_I'll_ protect you, you don't have to worry about that," he replied and returned to his map, expecting the queen to just accept it and go. But no, there was no such thing with feisty queen Elsa, right?

"It's highly improbable that you will be able to do so when we barely see each other. I believe it's necessary that I learn how to use _my _powers properly, even if they come from _your_ magic," she replied, squaring her shoulders, raising her chin and using her most proud manner. "In fact, precisely because I possess the same magic you do, you should be the one to teach me," she added, completely improvising.

"The topic isn't open for discussion, I won't help you, not like that; now leave," he said, his patience thinning. Of all the type of woman that could've been born, it had to be the one that likes to pick up fights, right?

Elsa knew then she had to resort to North's advice, "I challenge you, then," she suddenly declared, making Jack Frost turn his head in surprise to look at her as if she had grown three more heads and a tail. "The last time you tried that it didn't go very well with _you_, did it?" he smirked, remembering how easily it was to stop the fight _she_ started in the dining room.

Elsa scowled but didn't comment on it, "This is another type of challenge," she said and Jack Frost looked at her cautiously, his eyes narrowed. What kind of challenge could it possibly be, then? "I challenge _you_ to a game of _Chess_. If _I_ win, you have to train me, if _you_ win, I won't ask _anything_ of the sort anymore," she explained. "Do we have a deal?"

She extended her hand and looked at Frost in the eye. He cursed North in his mind; he knew Jack's weaknesses were challenges, the man had known Jack wouldn't be able to refuse. Seeing the hand there, the challenge of a _chess_ game… it had been so long since he had played a real, intense and interesting match. When he started winning Tooth every time, when he had learned all her tricks, when he had mastered the Tooth Fairy in ability, the game had lost its _fun_. And now he had a challenge in front of him, against someone he had never played with; it was a unique chance, and he could feel the excitement of the game in his veins already. A familiar yet foreign feeling that started in his feet and up his body, a feeling he hadn't felt in much too many years. Damning the consequences and giving in to temptation, Jack took Elsa's hand in his and shook it firmly, "deal!"

* * *

Many hours later, the game was still going.

Jack and Elsa were sitting face to face in a small, square table. On the table was a chess board, the prince was playing whites while the queen was playing blacks. Jack was frowning, chewing his lip while trying to read the strategy of the queen while she just stared with a poker face into the board. Both of them were excellent strategies, but Elsa already had a hunch of that. Jack, on the other hand, did very wrong when he underestimated the queen. She might have been childish and reckless in the decisions she made when she was angry, or sad, or just wanted to pick a fight; but when she let her head cool down, her intelligence was something to be feared.

The prince then finally moved the king because it was being attacked by Elsa's queen. He turned to look Elsa, trying to read her expression, when she smirked and moved her hand swiftly towards the board. "Check mate," she declared while moving one of his pawns forward and it was left in the _exact_ position to defeat Jack's king. The prince's jaw slacked.

"It can't be," he muttered while he looked at the board intently again. He doubled check, he tripled check, but the result was definitive: Elsa had won the match. Unbelievable, and completely unexpected, she had managed to win a game out of sheer luck (because most of her movements had been pure improvisation) against Jack Frost. Twice was she about to lose her queen, twice had she managed to save her, and those times were the ones that wrecked _his_ game, for he had been trying to get rid of it. Hence, he didn't see the threat that the pawn possessed, and he didn't even consider it. How could a pawn win against the _king_? Of all the mighty places she still had, her bishop, two horses, her queen and a tower, she defeated him with a _pawn_!

He raised his glance from the board and looked at Elsa, who had her chin raised with pride and confidence about the result. And yet, deep down, she was scared he would find a flaw and say it hadn't really been check mate. He didn't, she had won; against every odd and with a _pawn_. She couldn't have been happier, but she disguised it well and only allowed a tiny smug smirk to cross her lips. "I believe I am the winner, and so you have to do your end of the deal," she declared, the laugh clear on her voice.

Frost sighed; not only had he been defeated in chess, a game of sheer strategy, and by a woman, _human_ at that. No, he had also made a _deal_. He had been confident in winning, he promised to help her train and learn about her powers, not actually expecting _her_ to win. But she was smart, she _could_ see, she _had _defeated him, and now she _had_ to do what he promised. If he refused she would never let him live it down, after all, he was the one who insisted about the deal _her parents_ made and practically forced her to come to the Winter Palace. Actually, he did force her; he kidnapped her! It would've been totally unfair to expect someone the payment of a deal, but it went it came to paying himself just say no. And so, he nodded softly and stood up.

He walked around the table and put his hand out to Elsa to take. She took it, expecting a shaking of sorts like the _friendly_ players did, but was surprised when instead the prince helped her rise to her feet, "well played," he then said. "Not bad for a _human_," he said jokingly, his trademark smirk in place but with no cruelty in his eyes.

Elsa doubted his intentions though, and replied with another joke. She made it sure it would sound like she was joking, because _she was_, but she was still weary. She had never seen or heard Jack Frost act like that. "I could say the same to you," was her reply, "not bad for a _brat_."

It was the first time she called him that _out loud_ and it got the desired effect, "hey!" Frost exclaimed, "I'm not a _brat_," he replied with a childish frown that made him look cute even if the queen didn't perceive it as such.

"Whatever you say," Elsa retorted and turned around to return to her chambers. She grabbed her cane, which was supported against the wall, and limp her way towards the door, "as soon as my ankle heals, we start first thing in the morning," she said purposely smugly to irritate the prince. After all, he _did_ deserve a taste of his own medicine.

* * *

Later that night, when Jack was lying on his bed, he found that he couldn't fall asleep. He kept replaying and replaying the match, seeing mistakes _he_ made that led to that outcome and also mistakes _she_ made that he could've taken advantage of. His mind then played a trick on him. Instead of picturing the board with the pieces of the game, the prince found himself thinking about the way Elsa bit her lip while she was thinking what piece to move next; he remembered the way she frowned when he was _just about_ to eat kill her queen, and the way her eyes widened when she found a way to save it.

He realized what his mind had done soon enough; startled, he sat up abruptly on his bed and shook his head fiercely. He was not thinking about Elsa, he was thinking about the match. He was not going to think about her as something else than his means to become king, lose the grip his father had on him, and have an heir. Elsa, no, _the human_ was nothing to him, she meant nothing and she'd never mean anything. He was not supposed to get close to her; the queen had _Toothiana_ to keep her company. He'd help her train, he'd do his part of the deal, and that was it; nothing more.

His head and ideas clear, he laid back determined and decided to sleep and not think any more about what transpired that day. But if by any chance he thought he would like to have another match of Chess with Elsa, he'd die before admitting it out loud.

* * *

**Okaaaaay, you have not the slightest idea how many times I changed this chapter because it just didn't match the characters or the story in some way. I believe you need an explanation, so here it is. I think I had to make something to bring Jack and Elsa closer. Jack is all fun and games, as we know him, but because of his history and his past he locked that part of himself. Either way, one thing he has never been able to refuse is the idea of a _challenge_, something that will make him work or think or accomplish something new while he enjoys himself. And also, Elsa needed a challenge in which she knew she had a chance to win, and a physical battle was completely out of question. This reminded me also of an image I saw on Tumblr, probably you've stumbled upon it, about Elsa playing chess against Rapunzel. Currently I can't remember the source, but is somewhere there, so I thought I could use the prompt. Elsa is smart, she had to learn about battles and I supposed that she had had a way to spend time when she was alone. Chess could have been used as practice, as exercises, maybe even sometimes his father played with her because she didn't want to be with Anna in order to protect her. I hope you got the hint of the pawn, if you don't, then PM me and I'll try to explain the metaphor I had in mind, though I think it's not that ambiguous. Correct me if I'm wrong.**

**Also, don't think that Elsa and Jack are falling for each other right away or something. The first step I needed to take care of was attraction, and even when Elsa has yet to find the prince attractive (because now he's an annoying brat), Jack has at least started to see her as something _else_ than a worthless human. Now he's starting to look into the details, the way she moves, the tiny gestures she makes. It's still some way before any of them fall for each other, but now one of them knows the other is attractive which gives prompt for an evolution in their relationship.**

**Now, the replies:**

***strongyu: Thank you! You should know, I'll try to reply to _all_ your reviews in here because they just kept coming and I was like, 'this person is reviewing in all the other chapters,' and that is just amazing, so thank you very much. I am really glad you like the story, I know Jack is hard to read now, but underneath we all love him nonetheless. I hope you liked this chapter as well and I hope to hear (read) your thoughts on it! I know Elsa was acting childish, it was her way of maintaining her independence, by just fighting against Jack to _prove_ that. If you have any questions on any chapters or the story in general, feel free to ask!**

***First Movement: Yeah, I know; I kind of used the revelation of Mother Earth to create this angsty feeling in her, like, what am I living for? I believe we've all felt like that at least once by now, and I believe that we are constantly asking these questions that we can't answer just yet, and Elsa is only twenty one years old, she is getting to know herself, she just discovered her origins, never once doubted her parents, and now they come and tell her that she's just a puppet, how is she supposed to react? So she just has a minor breakdown (honestly, who wouldn't in her situation? I would've broken a long time ago if I had been her) but she has Tooth to help her.**

***** **manh: Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed the big fight and revelation of Jack's father. ****J**

***** **OptimusPrimeAddict: Thank you! I work very hard to keep my updates on time and the chapters, characters and story as they are in my head. Glad you like it so much!**

***** **Zerlinda: Well, I'm flattered to hear that this story causes you to squeal, it makes me very happy. I hope you liked this chapter as well, with Jack starting to notice **_**something**_** different.**

***** **FrostSapphire: Yes! He does care! I am a very mean person because I made Jack have a tragic past; **_**when**_** the time comes for Elsa to warm up to him, the secrets will be revealing themselves as well as the hidden part of Jack Frost that I believe we already know. Getting there, though, is the difficult, amazing and interesting part about the plot. I hope you liked this chapter!**

***** **PeterFrost-girl1: Thank you! But don't get that anxious, please, all is going to come in due time. I'm really happy you like the story that much, thank you for the support- (yes, I said thank you twice ;) )**

***** **Tem's Promise: Aww, thank you so much! I hope then that you liked the insight this chapter showed towards Jack on this chapter. I know it's a different side of him, one that he doesn't usually show, but I wanted to take advantage of the fact that what his father tell him does affect him greatly and that he is kind of vulnerable on that matter.**

***** **rEdCherryVII: I agree with you, but at the same time I don't. Even if Jack has a tragic past, he has no right to treat Elsa the way he's treated her. Yes, eventually Elsa is going to learn about **_**his**_** past but that doesn't mean she's going to immediately fall for him or forgive him. At the same time, Jack should also try to be gentler with Elsa. Thank you for the reply, and the support!**

***Rinhearts: Thanks! I've already started the melting process, though I can't tell how long will it take hehe.**

***** **Zejo: Well, even when I don't have time, I make some. My priorities are so messed up, really, but don't worry about it, is just because of the story. I'm glad to know I'm on your top favorites; I'm trying very hard to keep the updates constant and I'll keep doing so. Thanks for reading and reviewing!**

***** **Follia Della Rovina: In some way I believe that Father Frost, Old Man Winter and even Jack Frost are the same person (in folk) but according to the place they changed their names. I chose Old Man Winter mostly because he's the first one I could think of, regardless of the name it had to be another ancient winter spirit willing to play the part (and here I'm talking as if I were casting them, although that gives me a crazy idea). And yeah, the Jelsa is finally beginning.**

***** **Bluefire407: I honestly don't know how to interpret that hum, and I'm worry is a disappointment one. Would you please explain what you wanted to say?**

***qdon: I'm sorry! I didn't mean to keep you awake!**

***FirePrincess96: Hey you know me! But I'm seriously considering putting a password on my laptop right now, you know, because of certain _people_. I am really happy you enjoyed the chapter and that you enjoyed your birthday! I heeded your advice, by the way, and I tried to get them closer on this chapter. Hopefully it worked smoothly and you liked it, if not I'm certainly dead.**

***** **rokusan23: Thank you very much! I'm really happy you like the story!**

***** **Otakugirl 13: I saw Devil's Due too, and it's not the type of movie I enjoy **_**that**_** much. I know also that you're getting impatient, I believe many of you are actually, which is why I made this chapter like this. I hope you liked it!**

***Guest: Hello, I wish I knew your name or something other than just _guest_, because a guest can virtually be anyone. But still I'll answer to your questions; I do want to introduce the rest of the guardians, I'm not sure about Pitch, I need to find a way to fit him into the plot, and I don't know if I'll make someone else fall for Elsa, although it's not such a bad idea. I'll take it into account.**

***Allonsyintheimpalawithsherlock: I agree, it would be an awesome idea; I don't know if I can do it all _Pride and Prejudice_ like, but I'll see what bits of that story might be useful. Thanks for the idea, the review and the support!**

***VK: Thanks! The general idea was to create a character worse than Jack, someone close to him so that some of the prince's behaviors are learned from this character who is as despicable as he gets. I perceive Winter more like egocentric and selfish and hungry for power rather than bitter. Of course I've seen The Last Aribender! It's one of my favorites TV shows and stories and I just love it so much! I understand when you see the similarities, but as you said Ozai is different from Winter. For starters, the later is so much older and such! Tooth, btw, is always going to protect Elsa because that's who she is and North I really like him being like the grandfather figure or something like that; I expect he'll appear on later chapters too. Elsa did make the wrong call, Jack isn't as vile as it appears at first (I'd say he's actually very complex) and I'm really happy that you are happy because he didn't mock the queen. Thank you for the review and all the other nice things you wrote to me, I really appreciate them and I'm really, really happy and… well… happy that you like this story so much! I mean, I can perceive you enthusiasm in the way you write!**

***** **Bigby the Big Bad Wolf: And now, the longest reply of all! Brace yourself: I believe that Jack isn't evil in nature or cynical as his father, but he has been taught that being different is evil and that he has to pretend. He has pretended for so long, that it's something common for him, but still if he ever sees someone in danger, he just **_**can't**_** ignore it. Yes, that's doctor North for you! I'm glad you like the slow pace, I hope you're not getting impatient though hehe.**

**Regarding Old Man Winter, yes! He has _that_ superiority complex, and I imagine him as the one who caused the Ice Ages, both of them, when the seasons were deranged and fought constantly for power. I also know how you feel for Mother Earth, she's not the most popular character in this story, but as you said she does everything for a reason… even if she doesn't care about whom she steps on.**

**I've been thinking about the Elsa vs. Jack thing and their powers, and I think that somehow we're still lacking information. In ROTG they don't show _that_ much the true extent of Jack's powers, focusing more on what he feels and his interaction with the other guardians as well as his past, whereas in Frozen they dedicated a full piece to show and display Elsa's power. Somehow, what Jack can do is left to the imagination, which is great, but hard to compete against the clips of Frozen and such. And yet, both points are completely valid! What did you think about _this_ chapter? Jack does get to be his teacher (if I'm honest, it was the best way I could think of to draw them nearer in a gradual way).**

***** **ForeverDelighted: Yay! Another long reply! Brace yourself too, my dear friend: I know Elsa's situation is sad, but don't show pity towards her please, because she will always rise and be strong. (Did you get the pawn metaphor, then? ;)) I'm glad you liked Elsa and Jack talking, I believed it was time for a nice touch like that; and yes, Old Man Winter is the mysterious father! I'm so glad you didn't see it coming; it means I did a good job! Don't worry, I already have some outline/plan regarding Jack's longevity against Elsa's mortality, I hope I can pull it off though. Mother Earth is playing a chess game of her own on a much bigger scale; if she went to the Winter Court to ask for help, she knew it was the start of a strategy that once started, she wouldn't be able to stop, which is why she hesitated. I am not going to spoil anything, but because of that and Elsa's role in the story, the strategy poses a way to **_**defeat**_** Old Man Winter and his wickedness for good. Basically, Mother Nature knew that if she helped Elsa's parents to conceive, the princess would have to marry Jack to complete the strategy, because they can't just do half of it.**

***evan618: Thank you, I'm glad you like it and them! :D**

***** **Milotech: That's what I intend; let's hope I can pull it off right, right?**

***** **Sallyma: Thank you! I know I'm taking my time with the development and the story but hopefully everything will be worth it in the end. I also believe that bitter!Jack is an extremely plausible possibility that not many exploit (I don't want to generalize, because there are some great FanFics on the ROTG archive that really take my breath away!) and that I've always wanted to try, but I needed the right tale. I'm really glad you liked Old Man Winter as the villain, I haven't actually developed that much into his personality and story, but on Jack's I have and I believe you will want to kill me after you learn it.**

***MarianaThamiris: Thank you! I'm glad you like the plot and the characters. To answer to your question: yes, they'll eventually get along, and yes, Elsa will learn the truth at some point (or at least that's what I have in mind).**

**So this is it. OMG guys! Just before I go, let me tell you that right at this moment, since I started editing the chapter and writing the author notes, it's been two hours. That's how _awesome_ you are, and that's the extent this story had for me. I'm really trying my best to turn this story into an _epic_ story that you'll all love.**

**Thanks to all my anonymous readers, thanks to those who added this story to favorites and thanks as well to those who added this story to their alerts and in some cases even me as an author. I'm really flattered by your support, the popularity this story has had is incredible and I never believed it would reach that much support from you. Again, thanks a lot!**

**If you have any questions, you can PM me here on FFnet or you can ask me a question on Tumblr. If you have drawings, art, animation of any sort of Jelsa or this story, I'd love to see it (Cailidevel, that means you too ¬_¬). My Tumblr account is ClearEyes95 (I think, if not take away the 95). Anyhow I'll post the link without so that you can be sure (just let me warn you that I have practically _nothing_ in there and my customization of the blog sucks, but I get to see very nice posts of many nice things and that makes me happy).**

**Until we meet again,**

**ClearEyes.**


	12. Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

* * *

**Hello beautiful people! Long time no see, and I'm really sorry for that. Last week was _crazy_, and that is an _understatement_. Let's say that I couldn't write at all on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and then suddenly is update day on Saturday and I haven't even _started_ on the chapter. I believe you can imagine my frustration. What also happened is that I was at least two or three chapters ahead, they were all written and done and ready, but guess what? I changed _one tiny little thing_ in one of the previous chapter and suddenly all the others are completely useless and I need to rewrite them. Well, that's my excuse. On the bright side, is that is only been a week since the last update; there have been times in which writer block attacks and I can't write for _a month_, so I'm really relieved this wasn't the case.**

**Thank you for your patiente, honestly. And so, without further ado, and because you deserve it, ENjOY!**

* * *

Elsa had just finished strapping the leather boots knee high when Tooth came into her chambers carrying the usual tray with their breakfast. The queen's ankle had finally healed four days after she _won_ the chess match and she was all geared up and ready to start her training. She had chosen a short, light blue tunic that reached just above her thighs and dark blue breaches that were tucked inside the leather boots she was currently wearing. She had pulled up her hair in a tight bun, the few locks that didn't make it there were braided and pinned to the side of her head, and she _felt_ ready for whatever the prince wanted her to do. Or so she thought.

The fairy placed the tray of food on a table in the center of the room before flying towards the queen and placing a hand on her shoulder. Elsa had her back towards the fairy because she was currently looking in the mirror, considering her appearance and thinking if she missed _anything_. "Are you sure this is a good idea?" Tooth asked her, obviously nervous and not precisely in favor of the idea of her training with _Frost_, so the queen turned to face her.

"I'm sure," Elsa replied, placing her hand on top of Tooth's to transmit some comfort, "I need to learn _how_ to _fight_ against those who want me dead," was her simple yet true statement, which prompted the fairy to release a long sigh.

The tooth fairy looked at her pleadingly; she really didn't want Elsa to do it. When the fairy found out about it the moment she returned to the Winter Palace, she had questioned the queen almost as if she had committed a crime before flying towards Frost's personal study to try and talk him out of it. The fairy remembered the time when Jack had been in Elsa's place, with Old Man Winter as his teacher, and the memories of it weren't in the least pleasant. Tooth blamed it all on Mother Earth; Winter had been completely ruthless in his training, scarring the poor boy in more ways than he'd ever care to admit, and all because of _her_ messing around.

"Just be careful," she asked Elsa while biting her lip, not sharing her inner turmoil but pleading with her eyes to the queen. Elsa was surprised, really, for rarely such a vulnerable expression was present in the fairy's face, but she brushed it off. If she thought too much about it, she might not go through with it because of her own nerves and fears, and she _couldn't_ afford that… at all… especially after she had coaxed the prince with a challenge _she_ proposed, and won.

The two friends sat around the table and ate a light breakfast; Elsa needed her energy after all, which consisted of sliced apple with honey, some raisins, fresh yogurt and water. They ate in silence, each one lost in their own thoughts. As strong as she wanted to appear, the queen was silently terrified. She knew she needed to do this, she knew it was a _must_, but that didn't mean she wasn't afraid of the unknown. Had it been Kristoff, Anna, or even Tooth, she knew them and she knew they'd never intentionally hurt her. They'd be demanding, Anna being the only exception, but they wouldn't _hurt_ her. She didn't really know _anything_ about Jack Frost. She barely saw him, and when she did they usually bantered and tried to bite each other's head off.

During the game of chess, he barely spoke and so did she. She wasn't going to say she didn't enjoy playing, because she did, but she wasn't entirely sure if it was because it had been a long time since she played or if the circumstances made it all the more exciting. Anyway, she would be putting her _life_ in the hands of a man who could kill her with one movement of his finger, and she could _only_ trust on the fact that, as he said before, he needed her alive… still, that didn't mean he couldn't cause her pain or something of the sort.

They finished their meals sooner than they would have liked, and Elsa prepared the rest of what she thought was missing. Then, Tooth led her towards a huge arena _inside_ the palace, made of _pure_ ice! The domed ceiling had intricate geometrical patterns that emulated a snowflake even if it _wasn't_ a snowflake. It gave the person inside of being _in_ one giant snowflake, and she looked around with her eyes wide and filled with _wonder_. The floor was a rough surface of ice, prepared to cause friction and avoid slipping when people were in combat, and there were also stocks of salt in one corner, presumably to put on their shoes to increase even more said friction. Elsa couldn't help but be _amazed_, like she was every time she actually observed and admired the architecture of the place. "Why is there _such_ a place in _here_?" she found herself asking, startling Tooth from troubled memories, without looking away from the ceiling.

The fairy smiled sadly, "this place wasn't always barren and devoid of life," she started, "before Old Man Winter discovered he could _make_ servants and warriors of ice and command them, there were people working for him; well, they weren't _people_ as you know them, but minor immortals that had debts to pay to major immortals. Winter paid off their debts for them as long as they'd work for him for whatever time he demanded," the tooth fairy explained, remembering some minor sprites she knew that had once been in that situation.

"It must have been _awful_," Elsa mused quietly as she lowered her gaze to look at the fairy.

Tooth shook her head and sighed, "Not really," she replied; "most of them didn't have a home or a specific place to live and were constantly on the move. In here they had shelter and food, and they found their own means of entertainment. This arena was where they trained, their usual playground. When Old Man Winter kicked all of them out, this stopped being useful." _Until Jack arrived_, the fairy thought bitterly.

Elsa breathed a soft, barely audible _wow_ while her gaze returned to the huge dome above her. Looking at it, she realized something about the dome that caught her attention. The dome she was looking at was surrounding _only_ the training grounds, and _around _it she could see seats where she imagined people sat down to just _watch_. Above the seats was the _real_ domed ceiling that covered _the whole_ place. It was… weird… why would there be _two_ ceilings? She turned to ask the fairy only to find she was already gone, sitting _outside_, and Jack Frost standing in front of her, geared up as well and ready to start the training.

Dread gripped her gut, because the only conclusion she could draw from the double ceiling was a certain protection for the spectators. That meant that nothing got _in_ or _out_ during training, and the queen suddenly wished for the comfort of his bubbly friend. "Having second thoughts?" Frost asked her, his usual mocking smirk in place, waking her from her sudden stupor.

She raised her chin defiantly, crossed her arms across her chest and replied smugly, "you wish," which prompted the prince's smirk to widen.

He had a… different set of clothes for training, she noticed; he was wearing brown breaches that reached just below the knee, a short dark blue tunic which had beautiful patterns that simulated frost threaded in silver… no, wait… was that _actual frost_? The queen also noticed much to her surprise that the prince was _barefoot_, and as always, he had his staff. To see him like that, all casual and without the _prince_ outfit, the queen thought that he looked _almost_ normal except for the paleness of his skin and his white hair.

She got into a defensive stance, prepared to be attacked by the prince who still hadn't moved from his place. Even when he was _harmlessly_ staring at her amusedly, she raised her hand as defense which prompted Frost to raise a skeptical eyebrow. "Do you think that's going to help you?" he asked mockingly.

The queen was puzzled, "you're going to train me, aren't you? Which means you are most likely to attack me somehow," she reasoned, but the prince just shook her head.

"Not today, _my lady_," he replied as he tapped the floor three times with his staff.

Before she could say anything else, the place where she was standing elevated above the ground as a square platform of one and a half meters per side and she almost lost her balance if not because she bent her knees just in time. The newly formed ice platform stopped a good three meters above the floor and she turned to look at frost from her place on top of it. He still hadn't moved at all, "What am I supposed to do now? When are we _actually_ starting?" she said, unamused at his antics of playing tricks with the ice instead of getting to the _real_ training she was _expecting_. But that was just the thing, this training was _nothing _like she could ever have expected.

Jack's smirk widened impossibly and again the sense of dread made Elsa's gut sink to her feet. "Now," he simply replied and before she could even process what he had said, the platform suddenly grew four triangular walls made of thick ice that closed and locked her inside a pyramidal cage of ice.

"What is this?" she breathed, suddenly feeling claustrophobic in the small space she had left to move. She could barely stand, the space being way too small, but she was grateful that at least it wasn't dark; in fact, it was very bright because it was made of _ice_, which naturally reflects light. Still, unlike the ice of the dome outside that was completely transparent, this one was thick and tinted blue so she couldn't actually see anything from outside. She waited, her heart thumping loudly in her ears, as she looked for a way _out_. This was his training? Or was this him _avoiding_ training her at all? She blasted ice to the walls but those just absorbed it into them, merging together, making it even more solid than before if anything else.

She then tried to crack the wall by making a stalagmite rise from the ground and straight into the wall… only for the ices to collide and stick together like a tongue on a popsicle and reducing even more the space she had to move on. And just her luck was that still some of the ice did break, the one of _her_ stalagmite, and now the floor was left with tiny shards of sharp ice. She tried to lower the walls with her own magic, but they wouldn't bulge. She knew Jack Frost was watching, waiting for her to get _out_, but she could've cared less. Every second that passed, she could've sworn the walls were closing down on her, even when they weren't moving at all. She hated closed spaces, she hated to feel caged and trapped and… like _that_!

Out of sheer desperation, when she ran out of ideas, she hit the walls with her hands and feet, not caring at all when the ice injured her skin and her recently healed ankle started to dully ache, resenting her greatly. She looked in the corners, looked for hinges, looked for the tiny ray of light that told her 'there, an exit!' only to find none. The cage had been completely sealed, she dared to say with _magic_, and she now _had_ to find a way out. It was _useless_ though, nothing she did could break through those walls and sooner rather than later she found herself sobbing while desperately trying to find an exit. "Let me out!" she screamed, while she kept on kicking and hitting, "please, just let me out."

The feeling in the small space was oppressing, she felt like she was choking, like she couldn't breathe, but it was all in her mind. The urgency to get out grew as her hope of finding an exit decreased, and at once all her fears from childhood came back to hunt her. When she was little she feared most of all of hurting her sister, but one of her greatest fears also was that someone, _anyone_, would find out about her powers and _cage_ her to be on display for everyone to see like she saw they did with the animals. The other great fear was related to be accused of sorcery, to be burned in the pyre just because she had been _born_ with a _magic_ she never _asked_.

She slid down the wall with her back towards it and she buried her head inside her knees, trying not to _think_ about the _small_ space she was _trapped_ in. Her sobs stopped but she started shaking, for an entirely different reason than cold, and she felt herself starting to hyperventilate. She would _kill_ the prince when she found a way _out_ of that _blasted_ cage… _if_ she found one… _stop, don't think like that. There must be an exit_.

"Stay calm," Frost called her from outside, his voice muffled and distorted because of the wall between them. She raised her head and glared with all her might to the direction she heard it coming from.

"If you don't let me out now, _Frost_, I swear-" she threatened in a shaky voice, much to her annoyance, which sounded more like a whimper than anything else. _Great_, now let the prince feel smug because she was _pleading_ for an exit… her day couldn't get any _worse_, could it? Still, she never finished because Frost's more stern voice interrupted her rather rudely.

"If you _panic_ during a battle, you lose," he said firmly and yet calmly; there was no mockery, as if he _understood_ what it felt like to be in there, which he actually _did_. He had to pass the very same test, but with Old Man Winter in charge it was a much more traumatizing experience. She found his voice strangely comforting and her raged breathing calmed if only a tiny bit, "now go to the center of the platform," he ordered and she crawled over there because she _couldn't_ actually stand. She had no choice but to _trust_ he _knew_ what he was doing.

"Now sit crossed legs or in the position you find _most_ comfortable," he continued and she did as he asked, sitting in the center of the sealed cage with her legs crossed; "calm your breathing," she took deep breaths, trying very hard to relax and just… focus on her breathing. "Good, you're doing well," he praised and it encouraged Elsa to keep her panic in check. She could do it, of course she could! She did not need a brat to tell her that, she could perfectly well do it on her own… right.

"I noticed since the first time you attacked me that you lose your temper very quickly and at the slightest provocation," the prince explained from the outside, "in a battle your enemies will use that against you. This exercise is not meant to torture you, as you might be thinking; it is meant for you to learn how to control not only your powers, but your temper as well. To keep your head cool so that during a battle you can still _think_ clearly," Jack explained as Elsa felt herself calming down. For some reason she couldn't explain, she found herself trusting that he wouldn't leave her _alone_ in that confined space. He wouldn't _leave_, she was certain, even if she couldn't explain the feeling at all.

He didn't say anything else for a long, long while. The hours went by, and Elsa had closed her eyes to listen to her own heart as she felt her breathing calming completely as the time passed. She realized at some moment that this was like _meditating_, a strange word that she learned in one of Arandell books that meant to spend quiet thought for relaxation or religious purposes. A teacher of hers also told her that all the way towards the east of the world it was a common practice, and she even met some merchants once that came from _that_ land and explained the philosophy behind that strange thing called _meditation_. What puzzled her though, was that meditation was supposed to help her _find_ something, but she was currently looking for _nothing_ she knew of.

And suddenly, she felt it; something deep within her. She couldn't say exactly how it felt, but she compared it with a heartbeat; it wasn't as strong, a lot dimmer, but still as powerful if not more. She reached for it, and it felt strangely warm. She let herself _feel_ it, _embrace_ it, and then it tugged at her. She could've sworn she felt a strong _tug_ that startled her for a moment, until she recovered and tugged _back_ at it.

A huge wave of power suddenly washed over her body, and she could feel _everything_ around her. She wasn't exactly Elsa; instead, she was the walls, the floor, the wind and the snow. She _was_ everything; she was _everywhere_, while at the same time she was still inside the pyramidal cage in the training arena. She opened her eyes ever so slightly, still marveled at the new sensations, just in time to see the walls lowering themselves and merging into the platform once more.

That fact alone made her eyes snap open, only to come face to face with Jack Frost, who was comfortably floating in front of her with a satisfied smile and an apology in his eyes. She could've sworn he looked… proud? His face then broke into a huge grin devoid of mockery or smugness; "you've found it" he stated simply while Elsa just _stared_ at him, completely puzzled.

"I found… _what _exactly?" she asked, her voice a little raspy, from her sobbing and then from the lack of use of it.

Frost then pointed a bony index finger towards the center of her chest, just to point towards his own chest a few seconds later, "the core of your powers," he again said as if it was the most _obvious_ explanation, only leaving the queen with more questions than answers. "To learn _how_ to control your powers properly, you need to know _where_ to find them so that you can _call_ them, is that clear enough?"

Elsa nodded softly, still processing it, "I think so." She got startled when she felt the platform move as it was returning to the floor, merging back; Jack Frost followed softly and landed a few feet away on front of her.

"The cage you were _trapped_ in," he spat the word in disgust, which told Elsa that he didn't really _like_ that thing. But then why would he _use_ it in the first place? "It was designed and created by Old Man Winter when _I_ came to train here. It forces you to sit and find your _core power_, which opens the cage once you've found it; yes, that means that it _can't_ be opened from outside. Once you find the source of your magic, you connect with it even if you don't realize it, and the cage _releases_ you. Does it make any sense?" he finished as he lent her a hand for her to stand up from the floor.

"A bit," she replied still slightly puzzled, "but what does that even _mean_?" Elsa took his hand and she rose to her feet, but she didn't count on having her legs feel like jelly and so she wobbled a bit forward. Jack, seeing this, acted on reflex and grabbed her by her arms to steady her, which put them closer than they had _ever _been.

Surprised, the queen jerked her head up only to find her eyes locked with Jack's, who couldn't look away from _those eyes_. They were… so… blue. But as soon as the atmosphere was created, it was broken as Jack retreated as if he had been burned by hot iron and as Elsa quickly averted her gaze from his. The prince rubbed the back of her neck as he tried to regain control of himself and remembered what he had to say.

"It means… it means that… you can… constantly access them and it gives you much more control over your magic. It can easily turn you twice or trice as powerful as you currently are, _when_ you know how to use it," Jack explained once he calmed himself enough to say words that made actual _sense_.

"Oh, I see," Elsa said, having heard but not understood. Why hadn't she realized before the startling and completely _beautiful_ eyes the prince had? And _why the heck_ was she thinking about _that_?!

Much to her relief, the tooth fairy then decided to show up with a thick blanket and started to fuse over her, "Elsa! How are you feeling, sweetie? You must be tired, but I'm so _proud_ of you! I can't believe you _found_ it in only _five_ hours, which is-"

Tooth was abruptly interrupted by the queen's head whipping fast, too fast, to look at her with wide eyes, "five hours?" Elsa asked in no more than a whisper.

"Yes!" the fairy chirped, obviously excited by such an _accomplishment_, "you know? Jack took almost twelve the first time he-"

"Toothiana," Frost intervened, looking at her sternly which promptly shut her up.

"Right," the fairy said with an apologetic look, "I'm sorry, that's not _my_ story to tell," and then she was back to fussing over the queen. Tooth was still chattering and fusing over Elsa when she grabbed her by the shoulders and led her away towards her chambers for a much needed rest she needed. While he watched them leave, Jack couldn't help but think about the time he arrived into the Winter Court and his own training in that _blasted_ cage of ice.

Jack had only eleven years old when Mother Earth found him and brought him before the King of Winter. They had had a very _heated_ argument that little Jack didn't understand until much later, and in the end Mother pressured the king enough to _force_ him to train the kid. Apparently, because he didn't know _how_ to control his newly found powers, he was creating an unbalance of the seasons and so it was a _must_ to learn about his powers. And who better for the job than his _father_?

Well, so proceeded that Jack was then going to be trained by Old Man Winter himself. The prince remembered, with awful clarity, how the walls on the platform had closed around him and just a few seconds later the voice of the King telling him to get out.

"But I don't know how?" Jack had tried to reason then.

"Well, then figure it out," Old Man Winter had replied, "I'll be in the throne room, so when you're done, go there."

And then nothing but silence; his _father_ had literally left him caged and alone in a place he barely knew, to get out on his own with powers he didn't even _want_ and that he surely didn't know _how_ to use. The kid had cried; for all he had lost and for all he had to go through in the future. He didn't want to be with this man, he wanted to be with his family; his mother, his sister, and even his stepfather was nice compared to _this_ man! But his mother and sister were dead; his father had banished him from his house, from his town. He was truly alone, and not even the feathered lady he encountered before could help him now.

He fell asleep curled up on himself, and he had had pleasant dreams for once; he had dreamt of his family, of his friends, of having fun in the snow. And it was then, in that dream, that he felt an unfamiliar tug that jolted him awake. He concentrated on it and felt another tug, but this time he tried to tug back at it. When he managed to grasp it, he could feel his senses being invaded by some completely new perceptions about _everything_ all around him. It was then that his hair finally turned completely white and that his eyes changed color too. It was then that he had fully awakened his powers.

The memory was so powerful that Jack stumbled and took a few steps backwards as he grabbed and pulled at his hair. He noticed, surprised, that he had his cheeks damp and only then did he realized he had _cried_. He cursed while he wiped furiously at his face; he was not supposed to be remembering this stuff, he was supposed not to let him get affected by it. He was not that kid anymore, he was not that _human_ anymore. Emotions made him _weak_, and if he was _weak_, Old Man Winter would take advantage of it somehow and use it _against him_. He had come so far to let everything get ruined because of his memories…

But the face the queen had when the cage open, the stains of tears on her cheeks, the surprise and slight fear of what was happening to her that was completely new… he knew what if felt like, he had experienced it also first handed, but the main difference was that he had to figure out the meaning of everything on his own. She had triggered the memory, she had triggered it… and then her eyes… those… eyes…

Jack groaned and hit the floor with the end of his staff, creating frosted patterns that spread all around his feet out of sheer frustration; "this is not supposed to be happening," he muttered under his breath to no one in particular, "this is so _wrong_."

He flew off and left the palace on his own, where he spent _hours_ releasing his frustration against a completely innocent mountain.

* * *

The next day there wasn't training. Jack told Tooth to tell Elsa that he had to fly off in an emergency and that he wouldn't be able to make it for training, but that she should keep practicing her meditation. He also warned that she couldn't access her core too much, because on the human body in brought great exhaustion.

That day Toothiana was the teacher, because Jack has asked her to solve her questions and to just lecture her on the risks, so that the queen was _aware_ that with every great power, comes great responsibility and great _danger_. "Being able to access the core is a resourceful emergency weapon; all the power you can access _without_ the core is what is usually known as _raw power_. But using _only_ that power isn't nearly enough against certain foes you might be fighting against," the fairy explained as the ladies shared a substantial breakfast. Elsa still felt really tired, and her whole body felt sore; she was sure she had _never_ used such strong power and she was still a little amazed at what she could do. Still she paid attention to Tooth, because as much as she liked to have magic, she didn't really know anything about it.

"But then," the queen asked, "how do I access the core in the middle of a fight? It's not like I can just _sit_ there and tell my enemy to just _wait_, can I?"

The ladies laughed at the silly image the queen conjured; "that's what meditation is for," Tooth explained once she stopped her giggles, "when you meditate like you did yesterday, you can't, under any circumstance, _tug_ at the core."

Elsa looked at her puzzled and raised an eyebrow, "but then how? I don't think I understand the point," the queen asked.

Tooth rolled her eyes playfully, telling the queen that she hadn't finished her explanation; "the _point_ is to know _how_ to access to the core and _where_ it is located. With enough practice, you'll be able to access it under _any_ circumstance, be it the middle of a battle or anything else, but for that you need to learn the _path_ you must take."

Elsa looked thoughtful as she listened to the words again in her head, "so you're saying that I must go to the _edge_ of the cliff instead of _jumping_, right?" she translated into a metaphor.

Tooth nodded her head eagerly, "exactly," she replied.

The next three days went by and Jack still didn't show up for training, and so Elsa practiced her meditation for many hours straight. She found that as she practiced, it was easier and faster for her to _reach_ her core. She heeded the warnings and she didn't tug on it, but she was proud of herself for such an improvement.

And then, on the fourth day, Jack suddenly did show up. He had to go away to fix some imbalances in the weather, which arose from some of the minor winter sprites, which were under his wing, and some minor spring sprites. It had been _kind of_ a territorial fight, originated when the spring spirits arrived _earlier_ than usual and they wanted to _kick out_ the winter sprites in charge of that region.

The spring sprites were as arrogant and self-centered as the immortal rabbit shaped being who took them under his wing: E. Aster Bunnymund. And so, the spring sprites had made the matter _too_ great and it reached the overgrown ears of the giant _kangaroo_ with Australian accent. **(A/N: Which I actually find very sexy… I mean, say what?)** Said kangaroo had went into his all fighting mode and gear to help the spring sprites kick out the winter sprites at least two weeks before the season actually ended and Jack had to get over there and stop the selfish Bunnymund. They had some differences, though, and when the rabbit saw him, he downright attacked him. And so Jack had to do the only thing he could think of and he summoned Mother Earth, who acted as mediator and explained the _real_ calendar to the Easter Bunny. Only then did he actually realize that, at least _this time_, he had been wrong.

The whole conflict took him many days to fix and he was, honestly, exhausted. He arrived at the winter palace in the dead of the night, when no one was there to see him and receive him, slept for three hours before getting up again and going to see the queen's progression. The queen was surprised to see him there, and she was about to angrily complain about the days he missed in the training but something stopped her and made her bite her tongue. His eyes had dark bags under them and his posture was slouched, and even for her it was obvious he was trying just to stay _awake_.

So when he told her to follow him, she just did as he told her without commenting in his _obviously_ tired state. He led her out of the castle and to the plains where there was a small lagoon with a very thin layer of ice on top. "I trust you did what I asked, right?" Frost suddenly spoke, coming to a stop right on the shore of the lagoon.

Elsa nodded nervously, "if you're referring to the meditation _thing_, yes, I did practice," she replied.

"Perfect," Jack said then, with a smile that didn't reach his eyes and didn't promise anything good," Because you're going to show me your _progress_ by freezing this entire pond by yourself."

Elsa gaped and stared at the prince in disbelief, "but that's going to take _hours_! I mean, I _can _do it, but it will take _a lot_ of time," she commented, eyeing the pond suspiciously.

Jack's smirk widened, "that's the catch," he said, "You have to freeze it all _at the same time_."

"That's impossible," the queen retorted, staring at the prince in complete disbelief.

Frost shook his head, "it's not, it's just very difficult; come one, show me what you've learned," he asked and motioned with a broad arm movement to the lake and the queen took some shy steps forward, "_if_ you practiced, that is," the prince added merely to piss the queen.

The queen took a deep breath, positively pissed by the prince's comment but she tried hard not to show it, and focused on what she did while she was meditating. She saw with the corner of her eyes as Frost settled down nearby and watched intently. This was it, it was a _test_. And so, Elsa closed her eyes and concentrated; she was able to draw the _right_ conclusion that she would need to release her _core power_ so that the whole pond would freeze at the same time, and it made her nervous that it'd be the first time since the first day of training in which she would do so willingly. To freeze the entire pond on itself was another challenge, because the water usually stayed protected and unfrozen below the surface of thick or thin ice. This time she had to, literally, freeze _all of it_.

Taking yet another deep breath, she sat down in her usual position, yelping when the cold, humid surface of the floor touched her backside, instantly soaking it, and sighed softly as her attention returned to the pond and the task ahead. She closed her eyes, evened her breathing, cleared her mind of everything and focused on finding _that _place inside of her. She sat there in complete silence, not moving a muscle.

When an hour passed she had started to feel the _tugging_ of her core powers as she usually did, but this time she got closer than she had ever dared before. She gulped and swallowed, pushing back her fears, until she felt the _tug_ close enough for her to reach and to _pull_, of course, all of this a way of speaking to explain what it actually _felt_ like. She did, immediately feeling the wave of power like the first time she released her core, and she smiled softly. Still, that was only the _first_ step of the task she needed to complete.

She opened her eyes and stared at the pond intently, commanding her powers to shoot forward and freeze the lake as Frost wanted. When it didn't happen, she raised her hands with much effort and directed both of them, palms open, towards the pons. Much to her annoyance, nothing happen. Sooner rather than later she ran out of time, and her _core power_ returned to the place it had come from because, believe it or not, keeping it outside was _really_ taxing. The queen huffed in frustration, while she hit her knee with her fist and bit her lip.

"Don't worry, I wasn't expecting you to freeze it on the first try," Jack Frost suddenly appeared behind her and she all but jumped in surprise.

She placed a hand in her chest, panting slightly from the fright and the exertion, "don't _scare_ me like that," she breathed, still trying to calm her heart, her breathing, and overall her whole body which felt like it was vibrating as the _aftereffect_ of releasing her _core energy_.

"Take deep breaths, relax," Jack told her as he sat in front of her, making eye contact. Elsa couldn't look away, and in her exhausted state she didn't even try. She just tried to do what Frost asked and took deep breaths until she could feel her heart rate normal once more. She still didn't look away, though, and the stare stayed; each one looking into the other's eyes, none of them looking away as if they _didn't_ notice, as if they didn't _mind_. But soon enough they realized what was happening and, at the same time, both broke the eye contact.

Neither of them spoke, both trying to _understand_ what had just transpired. Elsa had looked into Jack's eyes, and she had seen walls, many of them. There was an ancient weariness in there, he looked tired and not only physically. In his eyes, she could catch a glimpse of Jack Frost's age, and she could tell he was _very_ much older than his physical appearance let on. She could also read in there hurt, many years of hurt and loneliness, something she could _also_ relate to. The prince had watched something different, and yet it was the same; he saw in her eyes many years of suffering, of sacrifice. He perceived her loneliness, her yearning for something she had missed for a long time; in more than one way he saw a child in the eyes of the twenty year old queen. But what made him keep staring, what stopped him from breaking the _eye contact_ sooner, was _hope_. In her eyes, he could see that hadn't given up; even after all that had happened to her, she still _dared_ to _hope_. That simple fact intrigued him, peaked his curiosity, and he just wanted _more_. It had been a long time since he had been reflected such a pure emotion in someone's eyes, and in that moment he decided that she had the _most beautiful_ gaze he had ever seen.

But regardless what he thought, regardless what he discovered, even if was marvelous, it was _wrong_. He couldn't get carried away; he killed _everything_, he killed _everyone_, and that's why everyone _hated_ him. That's why everyone hated _winter_. He was the prince of the season that killed, that put the world to sleep, that brought famine and sickness.

He was snapped out of his reverie by the queen, who spoke softly, as if afraid of breaking the silence, "thanks," she said simply. That single word managed to trigger another one of his buried memories; this one was about his sister, the little girl who always followed him around and whom he had once loved with all his heart. She was always thanking him for _everything_, even when he hadn't done _anything_ or didn't even _deserve_ it, and it managed to make him feel better. Just like that moment; that simple word made his shoulders feel lighter. But he ignored it, as he always did with _useless emotions_. Following his example, the queen also pushed what had happened to the back of her mind, at least for the time being.

"That's what you should do every time you use the power from your core," Frost then started to explain, avoiding her eyes at all costs but his head still high and proud; after all, he would not bow his head in front of _her_. "Because of your _limitations_, you must allow your body to rest. After doing something like this you must _never_ attempt to access your _core powers_ in at least twenty four hours, meaning, a day," the prince warned trying to be clear in order to avoid misunderstandings.

She nodded, "I do know that a day has twenty four hours, you know?" she said raising an eyebrow, slightly offended of him thinking she _didn't_ know. Still one question bothered her much, and she couldn't help herself when she asked "but why couldn't I freeze the pond? I mean, I had it! I had accessed it and it should've worked, but it didn't, why?" While she spoke she moved her hands around her, trying to emphasize her words, making her look _funny_.

Jack, still trying to recover the clarity in his mind, answered with another question, "why do you think I use _this_ staff?" Jack asked as he brought it forward and put it between them, so that the queen could see it clearly.

It was the first time she could look at it closely, and she was marveled at the intricate wood woven together, giving it a unique texture. She noticed also that it looked nothing like the staff she possessed in her kingdom; Frost's staff was merely a wooden shepherd _stick_. And yet, she couldn't picture him with _anything_ else. Aside from the intricate wood work, the queen also noticed the glittering frost that spread from the middle and towards the ends, making the _shepherd_ stick a lot more beautiful than what it apparently was.

And then she thought about his question, coming only to _one_ plausible conclusion: "Because you have _ice sheep_ somewhere around here and you work as a shepherd when you're not being a _brat_," she declared confidently and without a bit of doubt. Her face was completely serene, tinted with the expectancy of a child of waiting to know if she was right or wrong, her eyes serious, and Jack couldn't help but notice that she _meant_ it.

That was all Jack needed to _crack up_. Just like that, one moment he's staring with an incredulous face and the next his doubling over his stomach _laughing_. It was a new sound for the queen, one she had never heard before. It was a carefree laugh of someone who found something honestly _amusing_; the kind of laugh that is contagious. And so, Elsa soon found herself laughing along with him even if she _didn't know why_.

The laughter died down eventually, and both were panting from it. Jack had tears in his eyes, as well as Elsa, and the queen just… marveled when she saw his face in _this_ new _light_. Gone was the constant frown, the indifferent expression, the grimace on his mouth and the cocky smirk he so liked to wear. There was no trace of mockery or cockiness, no trace of any _wall_ of any kind. For the first time since she had met him, she believed she was seeing the prince _as he was_. Jack's face was _shining_ with a full smile of perfectly white teeth, a smile of mirth had never, _ever_ seen before. She didn't even _think_ he could _smile_ like that.

"No, there aren't any _ice sheep_," Jack finally replied, breaking the stupor Elsa had slowly stumbled into. When she recalled what she had been thinking about and that she had been _staring_, she had to fight against the blush that threatened to reveal her thoughts. She had to admit, when he wasn't scowling, he was pretty _handsome_, "when you have _that_ much power, more often than not the body alone _can't_ project it outwards, which means that more often than not you need a _conduit_."

Elsa returned her mind to the topic at hand, which had _nothing_ to do with the prince being handsome, and processed what he had just said; "you mean _something_ that will help me to take the power from my body and out of it?" she then asked, to which Jack nodded curtly.

"Precisely," he replied, "the conduit will enable you to _exteriorize_ your _core power_."

"But I don't have one," she said raising an eyebrow, which prompted Jack to chuckle. _To chuckle!_

"Of course you don't! That's why you need to _find_ one," he replied and the queen frowned.

"And where on Earth am I supposed to find the _right_ conduit?" she practically yell, which prompted the prince to shrug nonchalantly.

"Well, it could be _anything_ you feel comfortable with, so it shouldn't be _that _hard, should it?" he said raising an eyebrow, his cocky smirk and walls back in their place after the moment of slight vulnerability. Elsa shook her head in disbelief and stood up, Jack following suit.

Her legs felt like jelly, and she felt like she would fall any minute, but fortunately she made it to the castle without many incidences. Frost was lost on his thoughts, barely giving her the slight attention; again he was frowning and scowling, making him appear much older and tired than when he was carefree laughing. It was in that moment in which she had such a shocking revelation that made her breath hitched in her throat: she _wanted_ to see _that smile_ again.

* * *

**So… yeah… I made many things up for this chapter that I hope made sense for you. In my head they do, but if you were left with any questions, please feel free to ask. You can PM me or ask me something on my Tumblr account, ClearEyes95. I do hope you've liked this chapter, in which I tried to explore a bit how their powers work. Also, it was the most credible way to create some alone time in which not only Jack but now Elsa too have started to see _something_ in the other. No, it's too soon to say its _love_, but I believe it's a start to clear all their misunderstandings. I also hope you enjoyed that bit about Jack's past, more will come in due time. Also, following someone else's advice, I'm going to shorten the reply section. I'm still going to comment down here, but it won't be as extended; whenever I need to extend on a reply, you can expect a PM, so I'll still reply to _all_ of you.**

**Now, replies:**

*******InsanitySilver: I'm sorry I kept you awake; I swear it wasn't my intention. Thank you so much for taking the time to review, I really appreciate it! I might just take into account your recommendation, not precisely because of the word count, but because it could save me a lot of time. I know that the word count gets inflated really high, but I usually hit the mark **_**before**_** writing the author notes and replied.**

***** **strongyu: Hi! I hope you liked this chapter, because it sure took me ages to write correctly and to transmit everything I wanted to say. I'm really happy you like the story so much, and I'm really glad I found you on Tumblr. Let's keep in touch!**

***** **sunnys: Thank you! I'm really happy you like this story, and I understand your feelings towards Mother Earth. It's a complex character; perhaps in the future you'll change your mind, who knows.**

***** **Moonbender95: Thanks to you for reading it and reviewing! I hope you liked this chapter as well.**

***** **res123: Thank you, you're very kind. I'm really glad you like the characters, and that this AU has captivated you so. I hope you liked the time alone Jack and Elsa had together on this chapter, and I really look forwards to hear your thoughts on it!**

***** **Guest: Thank you so much! I wish I could know your name, though; I usually update every three days, but the last week and this one are a complete mess. Even so, I'll try my best to keep on the dates to update.**

***** **LillyStoppable: I'm glad you got so happy with the previous chapter, and I sure hope this one **_**also**_** made you happy. Thanks for the support!**

***** **Zerlinda: Well, I believed some of your questions were answered on this chapter. Thank you so much for your support, I'm glad that you liked the previous chapter and I can't wait to hear (read) your thoughts on this one.**

***** **seulxloup: Thank you very much! I hope you liked this chapter too!**

***** **Otakugirl 13: Yes! I hope you liked those I wrote in this chapter also.**

***** **ForeverDelighted: Don't worry, I still need to **_**read**_** your chapter and **_**review**_** it, I'm really sorry about that, but honestly these past few weeks have been really hectic. Btw, you can expect a PM soon, as a reply to your review to shorten the time I take in editing this. Don't worry, I still **_**love**_** long reviews, so don't stop those please.**

***** **SecretSuccubus: I love your long reviews, keep doing them, but I'll reply in an equally long PM for the reason mentioned above in the reply to ForeverDelighted. It really meant a lot to me to read your p.s., so I'll make sure you're safe. Thank you so much!**

***** **Ekra ChAudHry: Thank you so much! I'm really happy you like it so much!**

***** **DeannayIkuto: Thank you! It really means a lot to me to read that, I'm really happy you enjoy it. I hope you also liked this chapter.**

***** **Guest: (I still wish I knew your name) Thank you for your review and your suggestion; I'm still not sure if I'll include Pitch, because the way this is going I wouldn't want the story to get unrealistic. Depending on how it develops on later chapters, I'll decide if Pitch's can fit or not.**

***** **Daughter of the Lion: I'm really flattered that I've impressed you so; I do try to keep the balance between emotions, body language, dialogues and plot to create a **_**good**_** story. Thank you for your support, I hope you liked this chapter.**

***i88: Thanks! I'm really glad you like it, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

***** **Olly1995: I'm really sorry to have kept you waiting, but finally the update is here. Thank you so much for your support!**

***** **silvermist-ique: Thank you! I love that you loved the previous chapter, and I really like that you liked Jack on it. I do hope to hear your thought on this chapter soon. Again, thank you very much.**

***** **Sallyma: Hehe, thanks a lot, that's a relief! I'm glad you liked it!**

***** **RedQuxxnRed: You're so sweet! It makes me really happy to know you like it so much, thanks for the support!**

***** **Insane PJO LOver 93: Thank you! And I'm really sorry I woke you up, it wasn't my intention. You're really sweet, and I would like, in fact, to get a book published someday. The inspiration for it hasn't hit me hard enough, though. **

***** **Milotech: What do you think? ;)**

***** **PriscilaOrglene: Thank you so much, I'm really glad you liked it.**

***** **First Movement: Yes, that's the role of the Tooth Fairy, to just **_**be there**_** for her when she's alone and such. Yes, I believe it will all be worth it in the end, if I can deliver right what I have in mind. ****J**

***** **Rinhearts: I'm really glad you liked it, thank you so much for your support. I hope you found enough excitement in this chapter as well ;).**

***** **Brickgirl101: I think that's Elsa's attitude goes according to what she's lived and what she's perceived. You must take notice that you know things she doesn't, which doesn't improve her initial impression of Jack at all.**

***** **MythicalCreaturesLover: Hi, I think you're another person who'll soon get a PM with the longer reply. I'm really glad you changed your mind and decided to read the story, because even when the plot might not be **_**that**_** original, I'm trying to make it work with unexpected things and characters. I'm also really glad you've read my other stories, in all honesty, I feel really flattered.**

***** **PeterFrost-girl1: Yes, I'd love to read one of your stories and as soon as I find more spare time I will.**

***** **Love-PRN: I know hehe.**

***** **HopelessRomantic183: I love that song! And I love Idina when she plays it, and I also think it fits Elsa **_**so**_** well. I'm really glad you liked this chapter, and you are also someone else who can expect a PM with a longer reply.**

***** **Zejo: Thank you for your consideration and support, I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well.**

***** **manh: Thank **_**you**_**, really; great part of the story stays alive because I know **_**you**_** like it, so the thanks is in reality both ways.**

***** **Bluefire407: Oh, that explains some of it, thanks for the explanation and the support.**

***** **Cornelia'Red: Yes, it was intentional and the metaphor was completely deliberate. Thank you for the support.**

***** **FrostSapphire: I'm glad you liked it **_**that**_** much, thank you very much!**

***** **jadelikescats: Thank you!**

***** **Bigby the Big Bad Wolf: **_**You**_**, my friend, will sure get a PM with the long reply hehehe. I think your ideas for the crossover are great; I can't wait to read it. Thank you so much, and I'm sorry for not replying through here.**

***** **GreenPhoenix3: Thank you very much, I'm really glad you liked it!**

***** **Follia Della Rovina: In fact, she does; thank you so much for the support, I'm so relieved and glad you and everyone else liked the chess game, the metaphor and overall the chapter itself. **

***** **OptimusPrimeAddict: Thank you, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and that is was up to your expectations.**

***VK: I'm so happy that I managed to make you happy. I've been there, on those crappy days that seem endless, and so I know what you mean. Thank you for your compliments and the support and everything you've done so far; you can also expect a PM with a better reply than this one. UPDATE: That would be, of course, if I had realized in time that you don't actually have an account and that I can't PM you. So regardless of everything, I'll reply to you through here. Thank you for your compliments, it flatters me to know you really, really like the story, and I'm really glad that I managed to make you smile with my writing. I believe in transmitting feelings through writing, which could be translated into 'I like to make people cry' with my writing, and I've managed it sometimes. It means I'm doing a good job! Even if Elsa did won slightly by chance, she is still smart and she has to know to some extent of strategy, if at least political, because she was rulling a kingdom. I'm really happy you liked North and how I portrayed him. Again, thanks a lot for the support, it means a lot to me.**

***FirePrincess96: No problem, besides, it was the right time to do it. I also really hope you won't kill me after this because of the chapter… so… yeah, see you in a few hours.**

***glee131313: Thank you!**

**And so it ends another chapter guys! I am relieved that you understood the metaphor and that you got the messages and I really loved going through your reviews and theories about what might happen next. The reason I'll be sending PMs is because I'm running out of time, in less than an hour I have a huge test that lasts until twelve thirty in the afternoon, and I really want to upload _before_ I start. Everyone who was promised a PM will get it, even if I have to send it a little later; I'm really sorry if that poses an inconvenience in any way.**

**Until we meet again,**

**ClearEyes.**


	13. Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

* * *

**Hello beautiful people! First of all, I'm really glad that you took the last chapter so well, because I was honestly scared of your reaction because I didn't know if you'd find it appealing. Apparently you did, and I'm so relieved by that. This chapter will be eventful but if I'm not mistaken you're going to like it. That or you'll hate me, but I hope it's the first one.**

**Apparently, on the last chapter I managed to write seven thousand words, without the author notes, and so I'm sorry to tell you that this chapter is two thousand words short, more or less. Still, I liked how it ended and if I had pushed it further it would've lost some of the tension I took too long to build up. And yet, even when this chapter is shorter, I managed to write fourteen pages. That has to mean something, right?**

**And so, without further ado, I present to you chapter twelve! ENjOY!**

* * *

Jack Frost laid on his bed wide awake, staring at the ceiling, lost in his thoughts. Something strange had happened that day, something that was not meant to happen at all. He had laughed; a real hearty laugh, but the worse of it was that it felt _good_. He felt good. It had been so long since the last time he had laughed like that, and he could blame it completely on the queen. How on Earth did she get the idea of sheep made of ice? That was so ridiculous that he just couldn't help it.

Deep down, he was honestly impressed by her progress; she had managed with only a few days of training what he took months to achieve. _Perhaps it's the teacher_, he thought smugly, but he knew it wasn't true. As much of a better teacher than his father as he was, Elsa had accomplished it all on her own, and something told him that she might grow to be more powerful than him. But how was that even _possible_? He gave her the magic she possessed, and yet… He needed to make sure she'd be good and not corrupted by power.

His thoughts were interrupted when he suddenly remembered her eyes, the instant in which both of their eyes met and neither could look away. He had seen something else in her, and that something would be the true fuel of her powers. She had something he had lost long ago, something he once considered precious and valuable but that one day became a burden on his life. She was human; of course she would have it: _hope_. To hope for things to get better, to trust that things _would_ get better even after all she had been through… after all _he_ put her through. She had something to fight for, a purpose, she wasn't just existing, and that made her powerful… he needed to make _sure_.

Jack sighed softly as he remembered his mother; just like the queen, she always had hoped for things to get better. Even when the winters kept getting colder and harsher, even when there was less food, even when she was _dying_, she had always had hope. That was another thing that bothered him of Elsa of Arendelle; her humanity was making him remember his other life, painful memories that would wash over him as a reminder of what he had lost, of what he had to become.

He stood up, unable to fall asleep and started pacing the room, brushing his fingers through his white locks in an exasperated manner. He groaned in frustration, sending a sudden blast of ice to one of the pillows, making it freeze instantly. What was she _doing_ to him? That wasn't supposed to happen, he wasn't supposed to train her, he wasn't supposed to remember and, above all, he wasn't supposed to find her attractive _at all_. He wasn't supposed to want to get closer, to get to know her better; he was supposed to just stay away and to keep his distance. But why, oh why was it getting harder?

He went to his closet and took out an old, worn out chest. Something he shouldn't have done; he shouldn't have been unburying his past, those memories he tried so hard to forget. And yet, he needed it, he could feel it deep inside of him; there was something in there he needed or it wouldn't let him _sleep_. He grabbed a small key that hanged around his neck, one that he always carried but kept hidden from view, and pull it over his head. He stared at the small thing; it was made of iron, so after so many years of disuse it was rusty and brownish. It had been so long… maybe too long. Taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, he inserted it in the keyhole and turned it around, a sob unconsciously escaping from his lips when he heard the 'click' from the chest when it opened.

He opened it, without daring to look just yet, and after a few more deep breaths and memories that assaulted him, he finally looked at it. Inside there was a tiny, rusty locket, a piece of paper that once was a letter, a small portrait of a beautiful woman with auburn hair and a hand fan, among other things. These were the mementos of a better life, the only things he had left of his human life, his human family, his mother and his sister. Things he couldn't look at but that he couldn't get rid of either. Before he had time to realize, bitter tears were freezing on his cheeks, but he didn't even bother to wipe them away.

He brushed his fingers softly against the locket, which once belonged to his sister; he had given it to her on her seventh birthday. He had saved what little money he owned for months, and then asked the smith to make it for him for a cheaper price and he'd pay the rest of it with labor. It had been really harsh, but oh so worth it. The look on her face, the gleam in her eyes, her smile! It saddened him to no end to have it with him; it was supposed to have been with his sister, she was supposed to pass it down to her daughter and her daughter to her daughter. But she never even got the chance.

Then he moved towards the paper, which once had been a letter from his stepfather. The ink was barely visible in some parts, in others it had been completely erased by time or by so many times he had read it that he knew what it once said by heart. The paper was wrinkled and fragile, which is why Jack just passed his fingertips slowly on the rough surface in fear of breaking it. At one point his stepdad had to leave town for a couple of weeks to get food elsewhere because of the shortages. In it his stepfather had written that he needed to keep his mother and his sister safe, that he would have to protect them of any harm… and he couldn't do it, he failed him. And even with all the pain the letter brought, even after all his stepdad had done to him after, he couldn't throw it away. He would never be able to throw it away because he was sure that at some point, and even when he wasn't his _real_ son, he had loved him like one. Before his powers intervened and ruined _everything_.

Finally he got to the portrait, which was of his mother. She had been a beautiful woman, with beautiful eyes, ones that the painter managed to capture perfectly and that reflected all the hope and happiness they held. She was smiling softly at him through the worn canvas, as she used to do when he had nightmares. He knew she had always loved him, even when she found out what he was, even if he only caused him trouble and pain. She had never blamed him for anything, which only made the prince feel worse. Had he hadn't been born at all she would've survived. She was the person with the kindest of hearts and the purest of souls, and it had been _his_ entire fault the fact that she was gone. Well, after almost two hundred years she would've died eventually, but she could've lived longer and she could've met her grandchildren and grow old with the man she loved.

Ready to slam the lid and throw the chest back into the closet, never to be opened again, he remembered the thing he had been looking for in the first place. The reason he had opened the chest, unlocked his memories. Slowly, almost reverently, he took the hand fan and examined it closely. It was made of wood and had a beautiful purple fabric, on it there were beautifully drawn snowflakes, and when moved in a certain way it gave the illusion that it was snowing in it. His mother used to make those and sell them; much of their income came from that, besides the sheep his stepfather owned. His mother had portrayed her love for winter in the fan, she had always treasured it _so_ much. It was the only one she never sold, and when Jack had to run away, he couldn't help but take it with him. Perhaps his mother's love had been stored in there somehow, and maybe he would still feel its warmth…

But Jack had been naïve, and the fan didn't mean anything… until _now_. He tucked it away and closed the lid, turned the key again and stuffed the chest inside the closet for good measure, thinking he'd _never_ open it again, which was in some way a lie. He wiped the frozen tears from his cheeks and went to the door, where he summoned one of the servants. It arrived in less than two minutes and the prince gave it its orders, handing him the hand fan. With a slight nod, the servant was off and Jack closed the door once again.

He returned to his bed, deciding not to think about the queen or his family anymore and get some sleep. Of course, if his mind allowed…

* * *

The days went by fast, and Elsa had settled into a nice routine. Every morning she woke up early and ate breakfast with Toothiana, right before she left to her training session with the prince, where they worked in controlling the power she _could_ use without a conduit because she still had to find what she felt suited her. After the training she would meditate for an hour, at least, before going to eat a heavier, more satisfying lunch with the fairy. When they were done, Tooth helped Elsa plan the so-called banquet that in her mind had almost been forgotten. Had the fairy not reminded her of it a few days before, she would've let it slide. The downside of it, because she actually liked the planning part, was that it reminded her each day of her upcoming wedding, which had her scared out of her wits. Of course, she didn't show it, but she was dreading the moment with every fiber of her being.

Every time she tried to read him, she couldn't get anything; and every time she considered they could be friends or at least tolerate each other, he suddenly turned cold and indifferent towards her once again. The perfect example occurred the day after _that_ training session, in which she couldn't freeze the pond. She had arrived refreshed, feeling like somehow they had made _some_ progress and that they were slowly becoming friends, only to have Frost once again giving her the cold shoulder and treating her at arm's length, with his cocky smirk in place and his mockery constantly in her ears.

It felt somehow wrong, because she had seen something so different reflected in his eyes. She had seen him being scared and lonely. The queen sighed softly as she laid on her bed, lost in her thoughts. Deep down she could understand what the prince was going through, she had lived it herself, but still she wasn't going to show pity or sympathy. He had been all but a gentleman when they met and she was not ready to forgive him about snatching her away from her kingdom, from her family, without a chance to say goodbye. Elsa stood up and went to wash her face before the day officially began, when something on her bedside table caught her eye. She was pretty sure she hadn't left it there, in fact, she was pretty sure she didn't own anything of the sort.

On top of the table was a beautiful _hand fan_, with purple fabric and painted snowflakes on it. It probably was very old, because the current style was less frilly and more serious; still, she couldn't say it was ugly because it'd be a lie. Even if it was a bit old fashioned, she still felt drawn towards it. She neared the table and reached for it, only to pull back on the last second. Who did it belong to? Why was it _there_?

Still, she felt _drawn_ to it, by something that to this day she cannot explain. So she reached for it again, but this time she didn't pull back. As soon as the wood touched her fingers, she felt as if an electric current had run throughout her body, starting from her fingertips, going all the way to her head and to her toes to disappear mere seconds later. But she felt different already, something _was_ different; the fan had left her core vibrating, and she suddenly felt excited and eager to use her power. Without thinking too much, she made a quick flip of the fan towards one of the walls, which was a _big_ mistake.

The blast that came out was much too strong, and is sent her backwards against the bed, where she landed in a heap. And yet it didn't hurt her; she felt even more exhilarated than before. There, as she was lying with her arms and legs spread on the bed, she started to laugh. Anyone without experience would believe her to be a maniac with the hysterical laughing coming out of her mouth.

In that moment Tooth entered the room and placed the usual tray on the table. "Good morning," she greeted and then did she noticed the mess the room was; the mess Elsa was! "What on the Man in the Moon's sake happened here?" she all but yelled, going to examine the frozen wall. Elsa only laughed harder, making the fairy concerned. "Elsa!"

The queen snapped from her laugh and stopped abruptly when Tooth called her. The energy and euphoria she had felt only moments before disappeared as suddenly as it arrived and she sat down on the bed, looking at Tooth strangely. "Tooth," she breathed, seemingly in some kind of trance, clutching the hand fan hard in her hand.

The fairy didn't waste much time, she flew straight at the queen and shook her by the shoulders. "Elsa, whatever it is, snap out of it!" the fairy exclaimed and finally the queen's eyes focused on her, which prompted the fairy to sigh in relief.

"Something strange just happened," Elsa told her in a low voice, as if fearing to break into those fits of sick laughter again.

The fairy rolled her eyes, "you can say that again," Tooth replied, "what I'd like to know is _what_ exactly that was."

Elsa shook her head a bit, trying to clear her thoughts, "I'm not sure what it was," she started, "I just grabbed this," she showed the fan to the fairy, "and _it_ happened."

Tooth had to fight with all her will power not to let out a surprised gasp; that was _the_ fan. Why did she have it? That was obvious; Jack had given it to her, which then turned the main question into a _why_. It made no sense, he never opened that chest, and it was really rare when he did. She'd need to ask him later, but first she needed to deal with what was happening now, because she suddenly understood the queen's behavior.

"It's the _rush_," Tooth started, drawing Elsa's attention from to the fan to her, "I've only seen it once and it happened when Jack discovered his shepherd crook."

Elsa's eyes widened, "then… that means…"

The fairy only gave a curt nod, "yes, this fan has become your conduit," she explained. "But I don't understand _why_ would you connect with _this_, of all objects?" The fairy took the object from the queen's hands and examined it, noticing that beautiful patterns of snowflakes in the fabric had frost on them, and the whole thing had a very fine layer of it too, pretty much like Jack's staff. There was no denying it, this was her conduit.

"What do you mean?" Elsa asked feeling slightly puzzled, snapping the fairy from the thoughtful stupor she had sunk into.

"The conduit isn't only meant to channel your powers," Tooth explained, "I mean, it is, but at the same time it isn't. The conduit is special because not _any_ object can become one; it has to be an object that has a very strong connection with the owner. A connection you just made, and the feeling that comes as a consequence of it is called _the rush_," she finished, only managing to confuse the fairy more.

"But why is it so strange that _this_ fan is going to be my conduit?" Elsa questioned, remembering the surprise and her comment about the fan, "well, apart from being an object I had never seen in my entire life."

The fairy didn't know if she should tell the queen it belonged to Jack, so she shrugged and brushed the comment off, making a mental note to resume this conversation later with the prince himself, "don't mind me, I can be silly sometimes. Here," she handed the fan back, "now get changed and let's eat, now that you've found your conduit Jack will want to train you on how to use it properly."

* * *

Just as Tooth predicted, the whole training was meant for Elsa to learn the different ways to use a conduit. When the queen showed it to him, he made no sign or inflection of recognition, even if his eyes did linger on it for a while. After that, he resumed the training indifferently and detached, as he had been doing the past few days; it seemed that when he took one step forward, he took another two backwards. Toothiana watched everything from the spectator section of the arena, observing his every move and attitude towards the fan, but most importantly, towards the queen. Still, from observing she could draw zero conclusions; since when had the boy become so good at acting?

So she waited for the training to end and rushed to meet him on his personal study, where he knew she went after. She wasn't wrong, as always, and when she made herself at home the prince downright ignored her. He was troubled, she could tell, even if she didn't know why.

"Why did you give it to her?" the fairy finally dared to ask. Jack's head snapped in her direction, seemingly just noticing the presence of Tooth in there with him. _That_ was really strange; his eyes were unfocused, as if looking through an illusion, and there were dark bags under them. He hadn't been sleeping.

"Pardon me?" he asked, which only increased the fairy's suspicions.

"The fan, Jack," she said as she flew towards and stood right in front of him, the only thing between them being the desk, "why did you give her the _fan_?"

Realization dawned on the prince's eyes, and he averted his gaze, "I just had a hunch," was his curt reply, meaning he didn't want to talk about it. But it didn't matter, she would make him talk.

"But why, of all the objects in the palace, did you give her the fan, Jack? Don't avoid the question, you opened _that_ chest," the fairy assured firmly, making the prince sigh and plop on his chair. He was really tired; he didn't want to deal with the fairy at the moment.

"Yes, I opened the chest, but why should that concern you? It's mine after all," Jack said, straightening on the seat.

"It concerns me because it's not something you would usually do," Tooth said, voicing her concerns, "and that means that either you'll do something _good_, or you'll do something _bad_."

With an annoyed huff, Jack stood up from the chair and walked to the window, where he turned his back on the fairy, "I had a hunch, it isn't that hard to understand," he said in a tight voice, "a few days ago I took her out to the pong and told her to freeze it."

Tooth raised her eyebrows, "why didn't I know about that?" she asked rhetorically.

"You were on your palace, but regardless of that you do know we trained outside. She must've told you," the prince clarified with a raised eyebrow.

"Well, yeah," Tooth stuttered, "but she didn't tell me you told her to freeze the pond."

Jack rolled his eyes, "either way, I told her about the conduits and for some reason when I was telling her I…" he stopped himself, pursing his lips.

"Go on…" Tooth urged.

"I… I pictured her with the fan in her hands," he explained, "I don't know why, but that image just popped into my head and it wouldn't leave me alone."

The fairy flew towards the prince and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, feeling him tense up suddenly, "so you opened the chest and took the fan out for her," she said, still unconvinced, and he noticed it.

"You don't believe me," he said moving away from her.

"You haven't been sleeping well, I can tell, so it means that whatever bothered you, it still is," the Tooth fairy said while moving to step in front of Jack.

"No, I haven't been sleeping well. I…" again the prince stopped himself, his eyes wide and frightened, looking at Tooth like a caged animal, instead of his usual composed self.

"Jack, what's wrong?" the fairy then asked, feeling now really concerned about the prince.

"I can't help but feel… concerned," the prince said, voicing his thoughts and surprising the fairy, "a_nyone_ can feel the temptation of power, and no one is extent of change. I need to know that she will use her powers the right way, that she won't abuse them… that she won't become obsessed with them like Winter," he explained, trying to make sense of his own thoughts.

Tooth looked puzzled, "what are you saying, Jack?"

"I'll apply another test to her tomorrow," he said, looking down as if guilty.

Tooth's eyes widened, "what are you going to do?" she asked the prince, but he just turned away from her and ended the conversation with his silence, feeling the fairy's gut with sudden dread.

* * *

The next day Jack stood on the courtyard, ready to take flight, while waiting for the queen to show up. He knew that Tooth was still concerned, but it didn't matter; he needed to see for himself. What had been taking his sleep away, but he didn't tell the fairy, were the sudden _feelings_ he was having towards the queen. Feelings that conflicted with his thoughts, which spent all night fighting and never leaving him room to get actual rest.

His thoughts were interrupted by Elsa, who suddenly appeared nervous and shy. He couldn't help stare, because as much as he wanted to deny it, the queen _was _beautiful. She was wearing her typical ensemble of clothes for training, with the addition of the fan, which was attached to her belt. He had been right about his hunch; he had the image of her with it, and he knew it would fit her, and he had been right. He didn't know how to feel about that, though; what did it mean that he had been right?

Whatever the case, he perceived that Elsa's aura had brightened up, her powers had magnified and it was much easier for her to access her core power now, which led him to conclude she needed to pass another test. He had to be sure that her powers wouldn't be used to harm others; she needed to know the difference between right and wrong. Even if that meant she might see _him_ as ruthless. Why on Earth did that thought _saddened _him?

He shook his head and headed towards the queen, "you're coming with me today on my rounds," Jack stated. He was not going to tell her it was going to be a test, which meant she wouldn't know he had a backup plan in case anything went wrong and that, in the best prediction, she'd do her best.

"Why the sudden change?" the queen asked, nervous and a bit skeptical.

"Just the next part of your training," he said simply and it seemed to convince the queen enough to follow him.

Tooth intervened then, wanting to calm the queen's nerves down, "don't worry, I'll be with you in case-"

"No," Frost cut her off, "you won't."

The fairy backed off, a bit scared and hurt; the queen frowned in indignation, "what? Why?" she demanded to know.

"Because I say so," the prince replied. "She can't watch today, I'm sorry," he added, trying to soften up the impact of his words.

Elsa gaped, "you're unbelievable, she just-" the queen was about to defend her _friend_, but the fairy knew better. If Jack said he didn't want her there then it was for _something_, even if she didn't like it and if she wasn't okay with it. Jack would have an earful of her and he better apologize later, or she would have her revenge. She would swarm his palace with her mini fairies just like last time, and he _knew_ he didn't want that.

"It's okay Elsa," Tooth interrupted, her eyes reflecting a deep hurt, "I'll stay."

"Why do you let him step over you like that? If you don't say something I will!" Elsa exclaimed and moved towards Jack, her fist high and ready to meet the shoulder of the prince, who just watched the banter expressionlessly and, apparently, indifferent.

The fairy put a hand on her shoulder, stopping the queen on her tracks, "really, I'll be fine. And don't worry, we'll talk… _later_," she emphasized the last word and directed her sudden stern gaze, even if still hurt, towards the prince. He just nodded curly and briefly, knowing that he deserved that much. Then Toothiana flew off in the direction of her palace, becoming an increasingly small dot in the horizon.

As soon as she was out of range, she turned with a scowl to Frost, "you didn't have to be so rude, you know? She cares for you very much and it seems you don't really give a damn about her," she chastised while walking with strong steps towards the prince.

"You don't know _anything_ about my relationship with her," the prince retorted, shutting the queen's mouth, "and you don't know anything about _me_. Now come and grab the staff, the wind is going to give us a ride."

Elsa huffed and crossed her arms across her chest, "well, that isn't precisely my fault," she said referring to his first comment. "I won't get near to _that_ thing if you don't promise to apologize to Tooth;" Jack turned to look at her incredulously with a raised eyebrow and a skeptical look, but she didn't move. She looked at him, he looked at her, and they dueled with their gazes. The prince new he wouldn't win this one, because in the end he would apologize to the fairy even if the queen didn't intervene, might as well make her believe that she won.

Jack sighed, "I will apologize to her," he said and motioned for Elsa to grab the staff. Still the queen didn't move; the prince huffed, "I promise," he added and only then was the queen satisfied and did she reluctantly moved towards him.

She eyed the staff, now looking much more fragile than before, and then the prince. She positioned herself on the other side of the staff, it ending up between the prince and her. "How did you say we were going to get there?" she asked, in a low voice, her nerves now showing that the matter of Toothiana had been breached, even when she was doing her best to keep a straight face.

"The wind will take us," Jack repeated and waited for the queen to grab onto the staff. She looked nervous, and she didn't really think it was a god idea.

"Isn't there another way?" she asked, hoping against hope there was.

"Just grab the staff and you'll see it isn't slightly as bad as you think," he told her with a roll of his eyes, "I won't let you fall," he added, startling the queen out of her comfort zone.

And so, without another word she just took the few steps between the prince and her and grabbed the staff, avoiding looking at the prince. He looked at her flushed face and he had to fight against a chuckle; he couldn't help but thinking that the slight pout she was making looked cute. Wait, what?

Jack shook his head and commanded the wind to lift them. He smirked when he heard and felt the queen yelp next to him, "don't worry, it's a friend."

The queen snorted, "of course" she said sarcastically while unconsciously gripped the staff tighter.

The prince huffed in response and with a slight movement of his free wrist the wind moved them towards their destination. Again he felt the queen yelp but this time he couldn't contain the chuckle that escaped his mouth.

"Yeah, make fun of me," she said in a tight voice, trying to get used to the feeling of being in the air. It was such a _bizarre_ experience; the wind moved all around her but it didn't make her lose her balance. If anything, it felt as it was the wind itself the thing that kept her balance there, high above the ground. She closed her eyes, not wanting to look how high she was from the, oh so safe, ground. Sometimes she would feel the wind brushing softly against her skin, as if caressing her, as if trying to calm her down. _But that's impossible_, she thought… the wind was just… well, wind.

"It wants you to look ahead," Frost's voice made her look at him, without looking below, and she found him with his usual smirk in place and the spark of mischievousness in his eyes.

"It _wants_ me to?" she repeated, raising an eyebrow.

The prince rolled his eyes, "as hard to believe as it is, the wind knows how to speak and it _feels_, even if he perceives the world different than us."

Elsa was left speechless, "how can it perceive _anything_?" she asked, and almost as if the wind had heard her, she felt a hard tug on her braid when a not so soft breeze pulled it. "Ouch," she exclaimed and Frost laughed. Again, it was the melodious sound from before, and she couldn't help the small smile that graced her lips.

"For the wind, everything is a blur," the prince then explained, "it can't see as we do, but it can form an image from the places it's been thanks to the things that have or haven't gone through it. It can tell if something is barren, or if it's a forest or if it's a field of crops, as well as if there or there aren't people around," the prince finished his explanation with a soft smile, free of malice and free of any sort of wall.

Elsa thought about it before replying, "It _speaks_ to you?" she asked.

Jack shrugged, "it doesn't speak like we do, but it can communicate," he glanced sideways at her and smirked, "as long as you're willing to listen, of course." Then, he winked at her. He _winked_ at her; he could be so full of himself sometimes!

The queen snorted and looked ahead for the first time since the ride begun, and the sight took her breath away. In front of her was the ocean, its color a deep blue and tinted slightly green because the sun's light behind them reflected in its surface. In the distance she could make out the silhouette of the mountains, barely visible, as if outlined softly with a pencil. This was what it felt like to fly like a bird, and they got to see something like this all the time. She expelled a soft sigh, her mouth slightly open and her eyes shining; the wind then twirled around her, and Elsa understood that it was _happy_, and the queen smiled softly.

Next to her, Jack chuckled. "I told you it wanted you to look ahead," he simply said and the queen just rolled her eyes. Nevertheless, it didn't last long. Sooner rather than later the prince lost his smile and his carefree air, tensing when he remembered the reason the queen was with him in the first place, "we're here."

Elsa turned to look down and she saw a small forest with a small village nearby. In the heart of the forest, there was a pond. The ocean had been left behind and now she could clearly see the mountains she had missed back there. How fast had they been flying then?

Her thoughts were cut by a sudden shift in the wind, and Elsa realized they were landing. The wind placed them softly on the ground near the shore of the pond, which was already thawing in the upcoming spring, and at her first seemed like they wanted to give out. Still, she gripped the staff tightly and regained her balance enough to let go.

There some isolated puddles of snow around the pong, which were slowly turning into puddles of mud because spring was coming soon. She didn't need to be genius to realize that Frost would ask her to freeze the pond, but she'd never know why she couldn't do that back in the palace. She didn't even got the chance to comment on it, though, as the prince grabbed her by her forearm and dragged her away to hide behind some trunks that were very close one from the other.

"What are you doing?" she asked, confused and outraged when he let her arm go. It had hurt!

"Shush," was the only reply that came from Jack, who put a finger to his lips and pointed his staff in the direction of the pond, keeping it there. Instantly, the water froze again and the melting snow became a little more solid. Before she could reply anything else, Elsa heard a loud cry and when she turned to look, alarmed, she noticed a little girl with long, black hair tied into a messy ponytail, running towards the pond.

"Look!" she exclaimed to someone behind her, "the pond is still frozen. Can we skate, please?"

From the direction she came appeared another three kids and two teens, who were apparently on baby-sitting duty. One of them had shaggy black hair, he was tall and thin and he looked really annoyed; he was the one to reply to who appeared to be his sister, "what did mom say?" he asked, his voice tinted with sarcasm and annoyance.

Jack tensed at the carelessness of the teen, but didn't say anything as the girl looked to the ground sadly, "not to get near the ice because it might break."

The teen shrugged and replied with a motion of his hand, "There you have it."

"But it seems solid," another one of the kids, a freckled face, redheaded boy, whined and soon enough all the kids were too. Important is to mention that Jack was still pointing towards the lake with his staff, and he was looking at the children somewhat fondly. The queen noticed also a certain longing on his face, like he wanted so much to just go out there with them and play.

"You're mother doesn't have to know," the second teen told the shaggy haired one. "Just one round and then we head back."

The shaggy haired teen rolled his eyes when the complaints of the children rose in volume; he looked around, making sure there were no adults around, and with a small smirk kneeled in front of the kids. "All right, but just a bit and then we go home."

All the kids whopped and jumped in excitement, rushing towards the pond. "They should've listened to their mother," Jack muttered softly and with a sigh took away the protection of the staff, stopping the constant flow of winter magic into it. Elsa's mouth was hanging open, and a sudden rage erupted in her chest; she didn't need to be an expert to know that without the magic influx of Frost, the ice would thaw and one of the kids might fall in.

"You can't do it! The children might get hurt!" she exclaimed, urging him to use his magic once again, glaring all the while.

But the prince returned her glare with an indifferent look, "that'll teach them not to disobey their mothers."

Just then the unmistakable sound of ice breaking reached their eyes and everything went silent. The laughter of the kids had stopped abruptly, the chatter of the teens, and it felt as though the whole place was holding their breath. In the middle of the pond stood the girl with the black hair tied into a ponytail, and beneath her, the ice was cracking. Her brother was stuck to the ground on the shore, his eyes wide and his expression fearful.

"Jack," the queen then said in a shaky voice, pleadingly, "you're not as heartless as to do something like _this._ I've seen you without the walls you build around yourself, and I know you won't let that little girl," she pointed a shaky finger towards the pond, "fall into the water. Please, freeze it again."

"You know _nothing_ about me," Frost then spat, glaring at the queen and startling her. She in turn turned to see the little girl weeping in the middle of the pond while the rest of the kids retreated slowly to the shore. Two out of three and the girl had made it, but when the last one was about to reach the shore, he slipped and fell on his backside.

The ice cracked, and that crack snaked all the way towards the center where the girl was a sobbing, trembling mess. Then many things happened at once; the kid who fell scrambled backwards until he was safe on the shore, the brother of the girl took a step forward with his arms raised and the girl cried loudly when she felt the ice weaken even more. Her brother was trying to calm the girl from the shore, looking from something that would help the girl reach safety, but not seeing anything long enough nearby.

Elsa couldn't bear to watch it anymore. She acted on instinct when she grabbed the fan and opened it, while at the same time she sat down in her meditation pose and reached for her core power. "What are you doing?" she heard Jack say, seemingly angered.

The queen snapped her head at him, "if you're not going to help them, then _I_ will."

The prince snorted, "I hope you don't _freeze_ them," he mocked and Elsa got suddenly nervous. Still, she pushed those back down when she remembered that there was a life at stake; she wasn't going to sit around and wait until the ice finally gave out.

Elsa shot her arms forwards, her fan wide open, as she stared intently at the pond. A few seconds passed and still nothing was happening, and she urged her core power to surface as it did in her room. She also tried to calm her raging heart, because if she was altered it would never work. She had to keep her head cold. She could see the ice cracking, the slightest movement from the girl or the boys on shore and it'd give away. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She dived into herself; she reached into the confines of her being until she felt the familiar tug of her core power just as the ice gave out and a shrill cried resounded throughout the small clearing.

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**So… yeah… cliffhanger… maybe I should've mentioned it before. Don't kill me please! I just had to do it, I'm sorry (not really). I hope you liked this chapter, and that you enjoyed what I chose as Elsa's conduit, and that you also enjoyed the emotional moments of introspection of Jack and the little bit of his past that I wrote about him. Now, replies:**

***** **ForeverDelighted: Don't worry; I understand you've been busy. I've been so to, just these weeks I had three tests that lasted all morning. I'm really glad you enjoyed the chapter so much.**

***** **AffyRainbws: I believe this chapter has answered your question.**

***** **Sakina: Thank you so much, I'm really happy you like it so much! Eventually Jack is going to accept his pain and get over it, but you know, with Winter as his father is a tad hard.**

***** **Katface-chan: I kept receiving notifications of your reviews and only later did I understand they were all from different chapters. I'm really glad you like this painting, and just so you know I'll write you a better reply on a PM. Thanks a lot for the support!**

***** **Milotech: Thank you!**

***** **res123: Hey! I'm really happy that you liked the chapter! I was, oh so nervous about it. I believe that the question about Elsa's conduit has been solved, and no, it wasn't a staff. The rest of the reply will come in a PM just for you! Thanks a lot for the support!**

***** **Miss Anly: Hello! I'm glad you've been following the story and that you like it so much. Thank you for reviewing, it really means a lot to me, and I will give you a proper, extensive reply on a private message because I don't want to make this author note **_**that**_** long. I did read it and I loved it; thank you so much for your support!**

***** **Zejo: Hey, I'm sorry to tell you that I didn't quite understand what you wanted to say. What I did understand was that you liked the chapter, and I tell you that I'm really glad about it. The other thing I understood was that the chapter was longer, and yes, I don't know how I managed to write that much. Overall, thanks a lot for the review and the support!**

***** **Zerlinda: I'm so happy I surprised you in the good way! The thing is that Jack himself went through this, and he knows what it's like, so even him can't be that much of a j***. I'm really glad you liked the chapter, and I hope you enjoyed this one too!**

***** **Otakugirl 13: I don't really meditate maybe once or twice in my **_**life**_** but that's it. I'm happy that I managed to capture the essence of the meditation, which was something I rooted for.**

***** **amethysteyes18: I'll take that as a 'I love your story and I want more', so thank you! I hope you liked this chapter as well.**

***** **FrostSapphire: I'm so happy you liked it, and I sure hope you liked this one too. More about Jack's past will happen in the next chapter, so don't worry, soon you'll know what Tooth meant.**

***** **MythicalCreaturesLover: Yes! Then I accomplished my goal, because I hate to have predictable plots. I'm really glad you liked the chapter overall, and that you liked my other stories about RoTG, it means a lot. Yeah… about the endings of the chapters… yeah…**

***** **manh; Thanks a lot, I'm really glad you liked it. Don't worry about the rewrite thing, it happened as a domino effect, so it's no one else's fault but mine. And I would love to see more of your drawings, I really like to see how you visualize the characters and places I describe and such.**

***** **YouNameIt: Thanks for the name, now at least I can call you something else than 'guest', which I find somehow rude. I don't know, it might be just me. Anna and Arandelle will appear again in the story, but I don't know how soon. Don't worry, they'll be back.**

***** **Bleep Bloop1: I'm squealing right now! I'm so flattered that you consider this one of the **_**best**_** stories you're read, you have no idea how much that means to me! And again I apologize about the accents comment hehe. I hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

***** **OptimusPrimeAddict: Thank you so much!**

***** **Insane PJO LOver 93: Thank you so, so much! I know it might sound like I'm just replying the same to everyone, but I'm not; each review is unique and it means so much to me to read them. I never thought the story would get **_**this**_** big, and it makes me **_**really**_** excited.**

***** **silvermist-ique: Thank you, I'm really happy that you like the story so much. The Olaf-yeah… well… I must admit that he isn't my favorite character of the movie, but regardless my own feelings, I don't see any way to include him so that it wouldn't feel **_**forced**_**. I have this idea of more or less how I want the story to go, and I'm sorry, but Olaf just doesn't fit. Again, I'm really, really sorry.**

***** **jadelikescats: Thank you! Yes, they were getting closer.**

***** **First Movement: Thank you! Hope you liked this too.**

***** **rokusan23: The only thing I can say is thank you, even if it sounds repetitive. Just know that I say thanks with all my heart, I really do mean it.**

***** **VK: Don't you apologize for not having an account, the fault is mine for not realizing so sooner. I'm really glad that you loved the interactions, the training and the chapter in general. Honestly I was really nervous when I uploaded it; the test went well, thank you very much!**

***** **Samanthafun4: yep, it is.**

***** **Bigby the Big Bad Wolf: I know I already replied but it just feels wrong not to mention you on this. What did you think about this chapter? I would really love to hear your thoughts on it, and the only thing I can say, is please don't kill me!**

***** **Follia Della Rovina: Yeah… the italics… I hope they got better on this chapter. I mean, I think I got a bit too excited on the last chapter hehe.**

***** **Guest: I'm happy that you enjoyed it. I'd love to call it something other than 'guest', though.**

***** ** : You don't know how excited your review made me, I know someone else who also almost squealed in class and the room turned to look at her weirdly. I hope you liked this chapter as well.**

***** **Daughter of the Lion: Thank you, honestly I made it up because I needed to **_**train**_** somehow. I'm glad it made proper sense!**

***** **HopelessRomantic183: You, my friend, are getting a PM because the proper reply to your review is very long. What I must say, though, is that I love the excitement you show for the story and it makes me really happy that you love it that much. Honestly, thank you very much.**

***** **AustinandAlly-SiberianHuskys: Thank you!**

***** **glee131313: Well, it isn't exactly attached to her, but it is more portable than Jack's. I hope you liked my choice, though.**

***** **MarianaThamiris: Thank you so much, I really like your enthusiasm about it. It shows that you really like, and precisely because of that I'll write you a proper reply through a PM, because this author note is already pretty long.**

***** **raining ripples: Hehe… yeah, I reread the chapter and realized about my mistake with the italics a little too late. Don't worry, I'll keep it in mind for later chapters. I'm really happy that you liked the chapter, and I'm really relieved my 'explanations' (because I made everything up) make sense. I hope you liked this chapter.**

**And so that's it for today, I'm trying to resume my update-every-three-days thing and I hope I'll get into the proper rhythm again. Honestly those exams really killed my schedule, but in the end I could work it out. On this chapter I also felt a bit more inspired because I'm excited about writing something that will happen in the next chapter, and yes, I'm telling you because I really like to keep the suspense on.**

**Thanks to everyone who clicked on this story, to all those new followers and new people who added this story to their favrotes. It really amazes me the reception this had had and I can't help but feel really flattered. Thank a lot to all of you!**

**I wish you all a very nice day.**

**Until we meet again,**

**ClearEyes.**


	14. Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirtheen

(Here goes a line)

**Finally! After many days of struggling, I finally finished! I'm sorry, I took longer than three days, but again it wasn't more than a week so it's not that bad, right? Exams week has started, again (ugh), and that limits my time greatly. Anyway, a little preview on the chapter; there will be more about Jack's past, and a new canon character of RoTG will finally appear. Is he evil? Is he not evil?**

**Also, guys, I'm sorry (not really) about the cliffhanger of the last chapter. I kind of feel bad because I hate when I read a cliffhanger (*cof*Rick*cof*Riordan*cof) but I still love to read them. I'm sorry if I caused you any type of stress or anxiety; here, I send you virtual cookies in hopes you can forgive me.**

**I was really happy that most of you liked or approved in some way or another the conduit I chose for Elsa, and I'm saddened that some of you didn't like it. I would really like to know your reasons, but first let me explain _my_ reasons for choosing it. I practice karate and I dream of one day fighting with a fan. The fan I gave Elsa is _not_ precisely for fighting, but it can be adapted. I believe that the fan allows the queen to make gracious movements that match her royalty, because she's still a queen; that it's practical and she can have with her all the time and no one has to know it's an actual weapon; and also that it will have her making broad, great movements, managing to control great amounts of ice. The fan isn't only a decorative, court artifact; it has many uses and I would like to use them all, or most of them, in this fanfic.**

**And so, without further ado, I present to you chapter thirteen! *cheers* ENjOY!**

**P.s.: On this chapter Jack's sister will appear and she needs a name. I know that she is currently nameless, but because I've written other stories with her in them and I call her _Pippa_ there, I will do the same here. Pippa, for those of you who don't know, is the little girl friend of Jamie, thin and with the hat, short brown hair and tall. You can google her if you don't know who she is yet. The thing is that the same woman who dubbed Pippa, dubbed Jack sister too, so that's where I got the name from. Other's have taken to call the sister _Emma_, but this won't be the case. Please, bear with me.**

* * *

It was a warm day when Jack discovered his powers. He was only eight years old, his sister was barely four, and she had gone with him to pick some berries in the woods. His mom had warned him about the thinning ice, and she told him to keep his sister _safe_, because she was very little and got easily distracted. On the way to the woods he met a couple of friends who also were on baby-siting duty and the three of them took the same track to the forest, other four little children following them eagerly. The arrived soon enough to a small clearing in the woods where the berries they needed were located, as well as the pond where children loved to play at in winter and swim in the summer. The children, being children, didn't like to be working. There were still some puddles of snow left, and soon they were playing, the berries long forgotten.

In a slip of his mind, perhaps because he was too immersed in the game, Jack got too close to the pond and when his sister tried to tag him she slipped and glided through the ice and all the way to the center. Jack cursed in a low voice, one of the words he had heard his dad's friend say. The eight year old boy tested the ice and took a small, shy step forward; his sister was on the meantime delighted by being in the ice. She was trying to stand up, only to fall on her backside again, which caused her to giggle nonstop. She was unaware of the actual and very real danger she was in.

The girl stood up, remained in balance a few seconds and fell, which caused the ice to crack. Suddenly, the ice wasn't fun anymore; instead, it was very scary. She didn't want to be there anymore, but she didn't want to move because she was afraid the ice would break more. Jack was trying to reach her through the thickest ice available, but it was difficult. Spring was almost there and the ice was thawing, which was no good at all. The ice had puddle of water that came from the ice that melted, and the boy had to be very careful not to slip because he was sure the ice would break under his weight. It was a miracle it hadn't already. His sister, meanwhile, was a whimpering mess in the center, growing restless.

In that moment, she made a move to change her position, and the ice finally gave out under her. Jackson, though, was not about to let her sister die. He propelled himself forward with his hands stretched towards his sister in an attempt to reach her, but he was too far. Instead, he landed face first on the ice, and when his hands collided with it something without precedents occurred before the eyes of everyone. On contact with his fingers, a huge wave of an unknown power surged from within him and extended outwards in a radial wave. It engulfed the clearing in a strong wind that made everyone close their eyes and shield their faces, because out of nowhere bits of ice in the ice were cutting their skin. Jack cried out when he felt as if something had stabbed him in the chest and he placed his hand over his heart where the pain was strongest while gripping to the fabric of his shirt tightly. The pain was so strong that it prevented him from moving at all.

When the wind died down, there was a collective gasp, but the kid was too focused waiting for the pain to die down. Jack was curled up on the ice, grasping at his shirt, panting and sweating. He had his eyes closed tight, but his logic told him that there was nothing on the ice, his sister had drowned. The simple thought brought tears to his eyes that didn't have anything to do with the physical pain he was feeling. When the last of the physical pain died down, he stood shakily but didn't dare to look at the hole in the middle that would tell him that his sister was gone. Finally, he opened his eyes, allowing a few tears to slip down his cheeks, but what he saw made him exhaled in relief. A sob escaped him when he saw in front of him his three year old sister looking at him with an unreadable expression on her face, and amazement in her eyes.

The crack beneath her was gone, and suddenly the ice was so much thicker and safer. He didn't have to think twice, he covered the distance between he and his sister in three long steps, always minding the ice, and he crushed her in a bear hug. The girl didn't know what was happening, but she didn't say anything and just let his brother hug her; after all, there she felt safer. Jack broke the hug after a few minutes and turned to look at his friends, eager to hear from them what happened, only to find them looking at him with fear and surprise.

The kid looked at himself, but didn't notice anything weird. Then he looked around and his jaw fell; all the trees surrounding the lake and protecting the clearing were frosted over. The ground where new grass was growing was covered in fluffy white snow, where before had been none. He scooped up his sister and got out of the frozen lake, walking towards his friends, only to have them back away from him quickly. The boys his age had defensive stances in front of the little ones, and each face was a mirror of the other. Jack turned to look at the lake, and even if from there he couldn't notice anything different, from above one would have been able to see a spiraling pattern of frost and ice that originated on the spot where Jack had been moments before.

"H-how did you do _that_?" one of his friends stuttered, taking a few shaky steps backwards.

"How did I do what?" Jack replied, not understanding what was happening. He hadn't done anything; in fact, he was expecting them to tell him what had happened.

One little girl suddenly cried, and it seemed to snap the kids from their shock. The older ones grabbed the little ones and all of them ran away from the place as if a big wolf was behind them. Jack was left standing there alone, a quizzical look on his face and slightly hurt at his friends sudden rejection. The eight year old boy then started towards his house, feelings suddenly very tired and only thinking of his warm bed and supper.

Halfway towards the village, he saw a woman running towards them. It was their mother, and she was looking anxious and nervous, and even Jack couldn't understand why it was plain obvious she was also scared. "Jack," she breathed, clearly relieved and kneeled to hug her children tight. "I'm so glad you're okay; don't worry, everything will be fine," she said reassuringly, to which little Jack responded with a confused frown.

"Why? What's happened?" he asked innocently, and his mother's eyes widened when she realized that the kid _didn't_ know what he had done.

"Nothing sweetie; I'll explain everything in the house," she took the three year old girl, who had fallen asleep in his brother eyes, on her own and straightened up. "Put on your hood, we're going home."

Jack was puzzled, "why must I wear the hood? It's not snowing," he said but his mother shut him up with a stern look.

"Do as I say Jackson," was her only reply and the boy obeyed; when his mom called him by his full name, it meant she was being serious.

They arrived to the village soon after, and Jack didn't miss the way the villagers were looking at them. As if they were strangers… as if they were monsters. They entered their house and locked the door. His mom told him not to take the hood off as she took his sister to her room and put her in the crib she'd be leaving soon. When she returned she was again looking anxious and fidgeting, having left her own cape in her own room it was even more obvious, and she proceeded to close all the windows and curtains of the room.

When she was done she took Jack's hand and dragged him to a chair, sitting him down and kneeling in front of him. Then she took a deep breath, "sweetie, do you know what happened back in the pond?" she asked him.

Jack looked down ashamed, "we were playing, and Pippa accidentally slipped and ended up on the pond. Then it started cracking," the boy had tears in his eyes, remembering the moment very vividly with all the fear it brought.

His mother placed a comforting hand on his cheek, "it's okay sweetheart, what happened next?"

Jack sniffled and hiccupped a bit, by then he was already expecting the scolding and punishment of his life, "I tried to reach her, but she was too far from me. I fell, but then… something weird happen. There was a strong wind, and my chest hurt, so I closed my eyes. When I opened them again, the ice wasn't cracking anymore and Pippa was safe! She didn't fall in! The other kids were scared, but I don't know why, and they left."

His mother released a soft sigh and pulled a chair to sit right in front of his son. She grabbed his hands in hers, and took a shaky breath. She looked in the verge of tears, and that worried Jack very much. Mother's weren't supposed to cry, because that would mean they were sad and his mom shouldn't be sad. And then she spoke, in that same shaky voice.

"That's not what the children are telling the village, dear," she started. "But before I tell you what they are saying, I'll tell you something else. A secret kept from you that I believed I would never have to reveal, but now that _this_ happened, it can't be helped and you have to know," she said, a small tear escaping her eye, and Jack felt nervous. His mother wasn't supposed to look so upset, and the sudden dread that settled in his stomach came from thinking that maybe the _secret_ was something bad.

"Why are you crying mom?" he asked, voicing his concerns in the inflections and tone of voice as well as in the question itself.

His mom, noticing this, quickly squared her shoulders and wiped her eyes, taking a deep breath to try and calm her raging heart. "Some time ago, before I was married to your papa, I met a man. This man wasn't human; he had bluish skin and piercing eyes. He told me he was Winter; he wanted something from me, something I couldn't give him. But he didn't listen and he took it, even when I didn't want him to," her voice was trembling with the memory, but she tried to remain as strong as she could.

"What did he took mom?" Jack asked, with all the innocence and curiosity children had and his mom let out a nervous chuckle. He was too small to know; how would she ever be able to tell him that his biological father forced himself in her? There was no easy way, and she was not about to ruin his son's childhood. Eventually he would learn the truth.

And so, she shook her head, "that's not important sweetie. I'm telling you this because, in exchange for what he took he left me something else," she said cautiously, testing her words. "He left me _you_," she then said simply, in terms a child could understand that the man he believed to be his father wasn't his _biological_ father. And that without entering the details of how painful it was for her to find out she was pregnant without a husband, how the village looked at her as if she was the filthiest person in the place, of how this man had fallen in love with her and asked her to marry him against all odds. A man she too loved deeply.

Jack sat there staring at his mom, trying to _understand_ what her confession meant, "then… my dad," he started, hesitating, tears once again coming to his eyes.

"You dad _is_ your dad," she interrupted him firmly, and then smiled softly at Jack, "tell me, who was there when you scrapped your knee?" she asked him and waited for him to reply.

"My…" he struggled with the word, "dad."

His mother nodded, "yes, your _dad_. And who took you to the fields to see how a shepherd worked?"

"My dad!" Little Jack now replied with more conviction, and his mom's smile widened even if just a bit.

"Yes," she repeated, "a father is the person who is there for you, who takes care of you and who loves you," she told her son, and Jack frowned in confusion.

"But then why did you tell me about Winter?" he asked, in a moment of sudden sharpness.

His mom sighed again deeply, and looked at his son in the eye, "because I think you might have inherited some of his powers," she replied.

Jack's frown deepened, "what powers? what do you mean?" he said, feeling really confused. His mom stood up and went to her bedroom to get a small, squared mirror she kept in one of her drawers and brought it to her son, motioning him to take it. When Jack had it he just held it, not really knowing what was he expected to do. His mom then took the hood off his head and Jack understood she wanted him to look in the mirror, but why?

His question was soon answered when he stared at his reflection, and he frowned. He looked relatively normal, but some of his locks were now white. He stared, he touched his hair, he pulled at it, and he felt pain, so it was really _his_. He then remembered the look the villagers were sending their way; they were looking at them as if they were monsters, they were looking at _him_ as if he was the monster. They hated him, they didn't want him, but he didn't say that to his mom. What he said, instead, surprised her, "do you think it was me?"

His mom didn't get what he meant, "what?" she asked, a bit surprised.

Jack's frowned deepened when he repeated the question, "do you think it was me who fixed the ice?"

His mom put a comforting hand on his shoulder, nodding softly, "yes, I think you did."

The boy turned to look at his mother with teary eyes, "is that a good thing or a bad thing?" he asked concerned and mortified.

Her mother made a thoughtful face, "well, you did save your sister," she replied, and Jack's face broke into a small grin, his concerned easing even if just a tiny bit.

"Then it's not _so_ bad," he commented. _Even if it's not good_, he thought. Whatever the case was, he still managed to save his sister. She was alive, and if these so called powers helped him in protecting her, then they were not that bad at all.

* * *

Jack was forced to return to reality as the sickening crack of ice filled the air followed by the shrill scream of the girl, echoed by the one of her brother. But the splash that should've indicated that the girl had fallen never came, and Jack looked at the lake. Against all possible odds, the queen had managed to create a layer of _thick_ ice below the one that was cracking, so when the ice broke the child didn't fell in. He saw the girl weeping slightly, and the brother exhaling a relief sighed. He then urged his little sister to go to him on the shore and, very slowly, testing the ice, the girl eventually reached safety. There she hugged her brother, didn't mind the other kids that were watching, very tight and he returned an equally tight hug as his shoulders shook in sheer relief. The girl was now openly crying, and when her brother recovered enough he scooped her on his arms and everyone left the clearing. The queen had done it, and she had done it pretty well for an amateur.

Elsa thought she knew what using her core power meant, but she was very wrong. The moment she tugged on her core, she felt again as if she was everything and everywhere; she looked for the crack, she could have sworn she felt as if some part of her was broken, and she found it soon enough. She couldn't mend it, she didn't know how, but she could create ice below it, _sealing_ it, and so she did precisely that. She dared to open her eyes a tiny winy bit, fighting to keep her power flowing and keeping the ice solid, and what she saw made her smile despite the effort. The girl was safe in the arms of her brother; and yet she didn't dare to take her magic away until all the kids had left the clearing.

When she was sure they were gone, she stopped the flow of magic. She felt her breath taken away as her power snapped back into place, almost like a rubber band that you stretch too much. She panicked when she couldn't draw enough air, and her body bended forward as she tried to force her lungs to work.

"Stay calm and don't panic; you can't force your lungs to work. If you stay calm, they will work on their own, unless you want to faint," she heard Frost telling her and she stiffened. She had much on her mind, and she wanted to speak her mind to the foolish, idiot and selfish brat called Jack Frost. Still, she needed her breath, so she tried to calm her raging heart in hopes that the air would return to her. Much to her surprise, it did, and she gasped greedily. While she was at it and tried to recovered, she kept glaring daggers at the prince. "You are," she said between pants, "a despicable being," she finished with as much venom as she could conjure in her exhausted state. It wasn't nearly enough to satisfy her, but it would have to do in that state.

Frost smirked, "I wasn't exactly born to _please_ people, especially reckless queens," he retorted with a mocking look in his eyes.

_Seriously?!_ The queen's eyes widened incredibly, raw anger flouring in her chest, "who do you think you are?" she asked, completely outraged, without expecting an answer. She couldn't really wait any longer, and so she would try to make her point even if she could barely breathe. "You have no right to _kill_ children, especially when they did nothing wrong!" she spat.

"I'm not going to take a lecture from _you_," he replied as he stood up and took some long strides towards the queen, to which she replied backing away. She didn't notice, though, that she had a tree behind her and soon was cornered. "Come on, _my lady_, it's time to return to the palace," he said and extended his hand to her.

She just stared at it incredulously, and using the bark of the tree as support, she stood up and faced the prince, as she always did, straight in the eye, "I'm not going anywhere with _you_," she spat.

The prince didn't like it, and he replied with a frown. Still, he didn't move from his place; in truth, he felt kind of hurt for some reason he couldn't identify, rejected. _It's better this way_, the rational voice in his head told him and he had no choice but to agree, pushing his feelings to the back of her head. The developing attraction he had towards the queen was no good, he couldn't afford it, and so it would be better for him and for the queen if she believed he was a monster. If she believed he wasn't good. "And how, if I may ask, are you planning to return? Because you must _return _to the Winter Palace," he said nonchalantly, but rubbing in between the lines the fact that they still had a _deal_ she couldn't really escape from.

The queen made an ugly grimace with her mouth in response, showing her disgust; "I rather go on foot than go with someone who could care less about a child's life," she retorted.

The prince huffed, even if the comment did hit a sore spot. "I had a backup plan in case you failed, I was never going to let the kid drown," he replied with a tight voice, his face emotionless.

"And why should I believe you?" the queen snorted, "all you ever do is mock people, never taking them seriously, playing with their lives as if this was nothing more than a game with no serious consequences. Not because you live longer than humans, does that give you any right to disrespect our lives," she spat, word by word, meaning every _bit_ of it.

Her stubbornness finally managed to piss off Jack, and he got really angry at the queen. She knew _nothing_, nothing at all! His face hardened, as did his eyes, and he lost all sympathy towards the queen. "And all you ever do is _judge_. You know nothing about me, and yet because of some actions I've made you believe you've figured me out. Well, you are _wrong_. You want to return on foot? Fine, suit yourself," he replied with anger, his voice colder than the usual. After his little rant, he took off with the wind and left the queen to stare at the spot where the prince had been. When she was sure he was gone, she let herself slid down the bark of the tree where she decided to take a few moments to let her body recover itself. It all hurt, it hurt in places she didn't even knew could hurt, and she was exhausted. In that moment she understood what the prince had meant when he said that she shouldn't use her core power in a certain amount of time.

She exhaled softly while her thoughts roamed wild. She couldn't help remembering the children and their panic, the way they were all paralyzed in place just waiting for something, _anything_, to happen. The girl… Elsa couldn't help but remember Anna and the accident when they were girls. She would never, ever, let a kid get hurt if she could help. Then, her thoughts unavoidably turned to the prince and how he had _refused _to help them. The queen couldn't believe it! She had been foolish enough to let herself believe that he _cared_. She thought she saw something while training, she thought he had been misunderstood much like she had been all her life, and was willing to hear him out. Well, after his stunt today, there was no way she'd give him that chance. He had proven that he didn't value life with his actions, and for her that was the greatest sin. And then, fear gripped her heart; he had brought her to the winter court to marry because he needed an _heir_, which meant she was going to have to give him a child. But if he was going to be such a bad person, such a bad father, she didn't want to bring unnecessary pain to the life of someone completely innocent. She didn't want to have a child with him, not if he was going to make that child suffer. _But I can protect it_, she then thought, only to be rationalized by the most pessimistic part of her. _Can you really?_ It asked which turned her blood cold. She didn't know; she couldn't assure anything. But she would fight; because it wasn't her life, it was another's life at stake, the one of a little boy or girl who would be defenseless against Frost. That led her to remember the small, simple fact that she had _saved_ the girl.

"I did it," she breathed, feeling the sudden excitement and satisfaction of a task well done; but more than that, she felt _relieved_ that the little girl had lived. She could use her powers to protect someone, she had done it; she had succeeded!

A sudden movement in the bushes startled her and she prepared herself for an attack. Quickly, she stood up again using the trunk for support; her legs were trembling but they'd have to hold her up because she needed to be ready, considering that Old Man Winter wanted her dead. Perhaps it hadn't been such a good idea not to go with the prince, but she didn't regret it in the least; she was still very far from forgiving him for everything he had done. Suddenly, from the bushes emerged… a rabbit?

Well, at least it appeared to be one, but it was much taller and wider than a _normal_ rabbit should have been. It had a green coat and half-moon spectacles on his nose… wait… what? For a moment, she thought that maybe she was delusional, until she heard the rabbit mumbling to himself, ranting about a 'stupid brat', 'bloody show pony' and some more things of the sort.

The rabbit… was mumbling? Yeah, she had definitely flipped out. Or so she thought, until the rabbit turned to look at her. At first it was puzzled, and shot her a quizzical look, "who are you, sheila?" he asked, in a foreign accent she couldn't identify, with a strong male voice. The queen was baffled, because she didn't know what was real and what wasn't anymore, and so she opened her mouth and closed it several times, battling inside with herself. "Hey, take it easy, I won't bite," the rabbit then told her. "Did you see where did the _brat_ who did this flew off to?" he then asked nonchalantly, and Elsa knew he was referring to Frost.

So they were acquaintances of some sort, but if the way the rabbit talked about him was anything to go by, he didn't particularly _liked_ him. And here Elsa saw two options; the first one would be that the giant rabbit wouldn't like her because she was also an acquaintance of Frost, much less if he found out she was, eventually, going to marry him. The other one was that they would become would friend because neither liked the prince; you know, the saying that goes my enemy's friend is my friend. "You know Jack Frost?" she asked him, knowing the answer but still measuring whether he was trustworthy or not, not wanting to give anything if she didn't know if the rabbit was a friend or foe. Wait, she was talking to a _rabbit_?! When did the world get so weird?

The rabbit looked at her, and then looked closer, eyeing and surveying the female, "you could say so," he replied wearily; "who are you?" he then asked, breaching the question both of them wanted to know. She could see the rabbit in the same position as her, measuring and trying to read the other, see if she was going to attack him or not.

"First of all," Elsa said, "I need to know you're not some kind of imaginary thing my mind made up," she tried to say as polite as she could, which only prompted the rabbit to raise an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, it's just that I had a very long day and I need to reassure myself I'm not going crazy," she explained, vaguely to say the least, and the rabbit released a soft laugh.

He hopped towards her and kneeled in front of her. She stared at him puzzled, and when he tried to grab her arm and she backed away hastily. "Shush, I won't hurt you," he told her with his… ears… pressed against his skull. Knowing that any physical contact wouldn't be good at the moment, he just put his arm in front of her, "go ahead," he encouraged and Elsa realized he wanted her to touch his arm. She did so hesitantly, shyly at first with the tip of her fingertips barely touching the fur, and then adding a bit more pressure. The queen was positively surprised to find that the fur was pretty soft, and also that he wasn't a product of her imagination due to the exhaustion of using her core power. She exhaled in relief, the rabbit smiled, "is that real enough for you?" he asked, and she nodded.

"My name is Elsa," the queen then introduced herself, remembering the question of the rabbit, still cautious about revealing too much information.

It rose to its full height and proudly announced his name, "I'm E. Aster Bunnymund," he declared, "or as you may know me, the Easter Bunny."

The queen gaped, "you are _the _Easter Bunny?" she asked, remembering that not so long ago children started to say that the Easter Bunny gave them chocolates when spring arrived, but she believed it was just a myth… apparently, she was wrong.

"The one and only," Bunny replied, "what are you doing here?" he then proceeded to ask.

Elsa replied politely, "well, I was with someone else, but he left and now I must return on my own," she explained, believing that hiding where she was living and with whom was the wisest course of action. Bunny raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"I don't mean to pry," the rabbit started, "but where exactly must you return to?" He might not know who the female was, but he knew secrets when he encountered them. The chick was hiding something and he would be sure to find out.

"I… can't say it, I'm sorry," Elsa excused herself, but bunny didn't buy it. He put on his best act, his _charming_ act; to see if that got her to reveal anything.

"Well, if you would just tell me, I might be able to help you," he tried, but the queen still looked at him with slight suspicion.

"What makes you think I need your help?" she asked, and the rabbit raised an eyebrow at that.

"Well, you look very tired, and if you tell me _where_ you live I could help you get there," Bunny explained, tapping his foot impatiently. Just a little longer, he could smell it, he could feel it!

The queen snorted, "I doubt you would make it to the Winter Palace," she muttered more to herself than anything, but Bunny having long ears, his hearing was very sensitive. Meaning, he heard her. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion while the queen's opened wide, "I shouldn't have said that," she muttered again, and this time Bunny smirked.

"No, you shouldn't have. Now tell me, why are you living in the Winter Palace? Are you an acquaintance of Frost?" Bunnymund demanded to know with a stern gaze.

For a moment the queen was astonished, but she overcame her surprise quickly. Of course, what was she expecting? "I'm afraid, _sir_, that's none of your business," she replied curtly, crossing her arms across her chest.

"So you _do_ know the brat," he said while he took one big stride towards her, invading her personal space. "Are you a new _sprite_ that has come to ruin the coming of spring? Because if so you should know that _no _one messes with _my _season," his tone was low and contained, and the alarm set off in Elsa's head. "Is the prince behind this?" She moved away from him and away from the tree with shaky steps, and he didn't follow, which let her know that he didn't really want to harm _her_. His fight was against the prince, so he could never know, under any circumstance, that she was meant to be his bride. She didn't want any more conflicts with powerful beings, she had enough with Old Man Winter, Mother Earth and Frost himself.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she tried to play dumb and failing miserably.

Bunny pointed an accusatory finger towards the pond, which still had chunks of ice floating that hadn't melted just yet, "then what is _that_?" he asked with spite. "Are you going to tell me that you didn't do it?"

Caught red handed and not a fan of lies, Elsa couldn't deny it. However she couldn't say it straight either or she was meant to become the rabbit's enemy too, "everything has an explanation," she started and was interrupted by Bunny, who now was seeing red.

"So you don't deny it," he said low and dangerously, taking a step towards the queen. She on her part put her hands in front of her to try and appease the beast.

"No, but I can explain," there, great, just reveal you did it when Bunny is angry enough not to think straight.

He was glaring at her, "then explain," he conceded, his patience running thin.

Elsa squared her shoulders; she was sure that as long as she told the truth she was going to win the argument and the rabbit would see reason, because the truth always came out to the light… or so would have happened in a happy, perfect world. "There was a little girl," the queen started, "and she was going to fall in through the ice. I had to freeze it in order to save her," she explained, thinking as a queen that if she heard something like this, she would investigate on the matter. And if the Bunny investigated, he'd see that she was right and would leave her in peace.

Still, things never go as planned. Bunny let out a small amused snort, while he looked at the queen, "why don't I believe you?" he asked rhetorically and Elsa's face fell in confusion. She couldn't see what was so funny; "it's too late for kids to be skating, by now their parents forbid them to go anywhere _near_ the lake," he replied as an explanation with a smile of victory, believing he had found a hole in the queen's excuse.

Elsa frowned and made a face, "but it's true! You can go ask _him_ if you don't believe me," the queen retorted with a broad, exasperated movement of her arms. She really wasn't in the mood to deal with stubbornness, and she was all ready to leave as soon as she finished arguing with the rabbit.

"Oh, I won't need to _go_ to him," Bunny replied with a smirk, crossing his arms across his chest and looking smug to the queen, "instead _he_'s going to come to me."

"Yeah, right," the queen retorted rolling her eyes, "good luck with that. What on Earth makes you think he's going to _care_?"

Bunny shrugged and looked at his hands, as if looking for dirt under his nails, "I don't know, maybe because I will have a _ransom_," he explained and looked sideways at the queen, a twinkle of something she couldn't identify in his eyes.

Elsa raised an eyebrow, interested in what could possibly be that which the prince would personally look for, "oh, yeah?" she replied, crossing her arms across her chest, "and what would that be, if you don't mind me asking?" she asked, releasing immediately a humorless huff. "I doubt he has _anything_ he cares about," she added nonchalantly, which prompted Bunny to smirk wider, showing his teeth.

"That's easy," he replied, and the queen turned to look at him with a dare in her eyes, "_you_." Her eyes widened in realization, but before she could react, the rabbit had already tapped on the floor three times and the floor disappeared beneath her feet and she fell. Her last thought before the hole closed completely, was quite ironic if you ask me. _Just what the hell do these beings have with kidnapping people?_

* * *

Unbeknown to them, a certain, very concerned fairy was looking for Queen Elsa when she heard the familiar voice of her dear friend, Bunnymund. She thought of asking him if he had seen the queen, but when she wound up in the clearing where both of them had been just seconds ago, was empty. Toothiana shrugged and continued to look for the queen, hoping that she was fine and unhurt. She had been so angry when Jack returned without her, and apparently he had been really angry too because he shut the doors in her face and didn't allow her to come in by sealing them with ice. It was then that she decided to go looking personally for her.

Had she looked to the ground, she would've seen a beautiful daisy, which was the usual when one of Bunny's holes closed on the Earth. But had she looked even closer, she would've noticed another flower on the place where a second hole closed; the one which swallowed the queen.

* * *

**Oh, poor queen, I just don't give her a rest. But don't worry, Bunny is not evil; you just know how protective he is about his season and his holiday and such. Either way, something good will come out of this (even if I'm still planning what that is), so I hope you're not too mad at me. The Jelsa will return soon enough, but first I believe you need to know about Jack's demons and all that.**

**Thanks to all those who added this story to their alerts, to their favorites, and all those who just clicked on it and are reading it anonymously. And now, the replies! (Those who wrote a long one will get a small mention in here and a longer PM later):**

***AllThingsAwesome: I'm really glad you're so excited and passionate about the story, it made my day to read your review. I try to keep every chapter detailed and to throw subtle hints for what might happen next (even if I'm making it up along the way), and I'm really happy that you find that attractive. Anna and Kristoff will appear again but later, because I've got something planned and in store for them; I really hope it's in the following chapters. I believe that you got one prediction more or less right, only that it has a little twist at the end. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and that this isn't the last time you review. Thank you very much for the support.**

***** **Fiji Anonymous: Here's the update! I hope you liked it!**

***** **ilovefluff: Thank you so much for your compliments! I'm sorry if the cliffy caused you anxiety or stress, I can assure it wasn't my intention in the least. I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

***** **Rinhearts: Thank you so much for the support, I'm really glad you enjoyed both this chapter and the one before. I hope you liked this one too!**

***** **Katface-chan: Hehe, I'm sorry if I made a mess of your emotions, it wasn't my intention ****(or perhaps it was hehehe)****. The test was made because Jack wanted to make sure Elsa would do everything she could to save a life, and for that she couldn't know he had a backup plan or that it was a test. I hope you liked this chapter and that you too have a nice day!**

***** **ForeverDelighted: I'm so glad you liked it! Yeah, as you saw Elsa didn't take it all that well. I hope you enjoyed this chapter too, that bit about Jack's past and Bunny's appearance. Something good will come out of all this, though, so don't worry. Have a nice day!**

***** **amethysteyes18: Yeah, there was an argument, but it wasn't that heated because Elsa did use a lot of energy and made a great effort. All the power she unleashed by fear in Arendelle, now she has to do it consciously, so for her it is taxing. Thanks so much for the support, I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well.**

***** **LDrops: Thanks a lot for the support, and the compliments. I'm really glad you liked the way I portray the characters. Don't worry, I won't make them fall in love instantaneously (actually, this is a major setback in the relationship and Jack will have to work his a** out to win her heart). Again, thanks a lot.**

***** **YouNameIt: Thank you for your review and for giving me a name to call you by. You didn't offend me at all, but I feared I had offended you. I suppose your seconds question was answered on this chapter, and regarding your first, no, I don't think Elsa has any connection with Jack's mother. I personally believe in fate, and in my mind Jack grabbed and saved the fan not by chance, but because in the future he would have to give it to Elsa because it was **_**always**_** meant to be hers. The same reason Jack's mother could never sell it. Feel free to ask more questions, I'll do my best to answer them; thanks again!**

***** **Tem's Promise: Thank you, I'm really glad you enjoyed it!**

***** **res123: Hey, thanks a lot for your review and the support; yes, Jack wouldn't have let those children die, and now you know why. In Asian cultures the fan is an actual weapon, and it's an art to use it right; I really felt like it was a suited weapon for a queen, not only a piece of jewelry or something to adorn herself with, but an actual weapon.**

***** **FrostSapphire: Yes, Jack's feelings get stronger, but I don't believe Elsa's are. I honestly don't know how many chapters this story will have; ideally I wanted to have more chapters when I posted, but it didn't work out because I was constantly correcting the ones I had written before. I hadn't notice I changed Elsa a bit, making her more aggressive as you said, but I think it was somewhat a normal reaction considering everything she's been through. I'll PM you later with a more extensive argumentation hehe, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!**

***** **SecretSuccubus: Yes, I did miss you! My friend, you are going to get a long reply in a PM, but first I want to let you know how happy it made me to read your review. You are so passionate about the story, and it honestly made my day. I'll talk to you in a bit, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and that you have a very nice day.**

***** **OptimusPrimeAddict: Hehe, I know I'm evil, and I love it! No, JK, I hope I didn't take your sleep away because of this, I would feel terrible if that was the case. Here's the update and I hope you liked it.**

***** **strongyu: Hello there! I'm really happy that you liked the chapter, and the conduit, and overall the story. I never wanted Elsa to fail the test either, and I hope that this chapter had enough emotion. Thanks a lot for the support, and I guess I'll see you around on Tumblr and such ;).**

***** **Zejo: I'm really happy you liked it, and that you feel that way towards the story. I also hope you enjoyed this chapter as well.**

_**(Banana eating break)**_

***** **Meiji no Pan: Thank you so much, I'm really glad you like the story so much. Don't worry, Elsa will hit, or try to, Jack when she's in conditions to do so. I'm sorry you didn't get enough sleep! It wasn't my intention.**

***** **First Movement: Hehe, please don't be mad at me *makes puppy dog eyes*; although I did enjoy writing that cliffy. Anyway, thanks a lot for the support, it really means a lot to me!**

***** **Toasty2017: Thank you so much! I hope you liked this chapter as well!**

***** **Bigby the Big Bad Wolf: Don't worry, Jack's little stunt definitely caused a rift between them. I already have an idea of what'll happen in the next few chapters regarding his feelings and his relationship with Elsa. Yes, it has to do with Bunny taking her away at the end of this chapter. I hope you liked it, and that you're not planning on ways to kill me. Have a nice day!**

***** **WickedgreenPhantom: Thanks a lot, I'm really happy you enjoyed the chapter and the story. It really means a lot to me; I hope that you liked this chapter also.**

***** **Olly1995: Well, at least I didn't leave you with the cliffhanger there for months like Rick Riordan did with MoA and HoH (this doesn't count as spoilers!). I am really glad you liked the chapter, and I apologize for any stress related problems you might have had because of me.**

***** **manh: Thanks! I am really happy you are so pumped up about this story, it really flatters me. I know about Defying Gravity, it's been my crush song for two weeks now, so I did understand what you meant ;).**

***Thank you, I'm really glad you liked it! I should probably listen to that song, because that one I'm not sure I've heard hehehe.**

***** **Allonsyintheimpalawithsherlock: Yes it'd be cute, and it would probably be an ideal fluff moment, but I don't think we're going to get there anytime soon. However I'll keep your suggestion in mind; I'm always open to ideas.**

***** **SaphireDragon15: Don't worry, none of the children died… I mean, I'm not **_**that**_** cruel, am I? I just love your reactions to cliffhangers, that's all… they are so intense… it's actually fun. Yes, I'm evil muajajaja.**

***** **Silvermist: Here's the update! Thanks for the support!**

***** **Milotech: hehe, I know, everyone hates them. Even me… except when I write them… yes, as I said before, I'm so evil! Muajajaja!**

***** **HopelessRomantic183: Hello, my friend! I was so happy when I received your review; I'm going to have to PM you later, to give you a proper reply. I loved your hypotheses, and I was touched by how many feels the episode caused you. I'm sorry, I didn't meant to cause you any pain.**

***** **Guest: Thank you so much, though I feel a little bad for calling you only 'Guest' hehehe. I hope you don't mind.**

***** **Zerlinda: I believe most of your questions were answered during this chapter, but even so I'll answer them to clear any doubts left. It wasn't a memory, and I don't think that by the end of the last chapter you could say that she actually didn't do it. That was precisely the cliffhanger hehehe. Jack knows nothing about Elsa's life in Arandelle, but he'll eventually learn it such as Elsa will learn about Jack's. I'm glad you approved of the conduit and that you liked the chapter; don't be sorry for asking questions, for they mean you're really interested in the story.**

***** **Guest: hehe… yeah… sorry about that.**

***** **Miss Anly: I know, I'm a cruel person because I write very mean cliffhangers. Still I'm really happy that you like the story so much; I hope you liked this chapter as well!**

***FirePrincess96: … Well, your reaction was priceless if I'm honest and I had a good laugh. And now… begging time, right...? Yeah… Don't kill me! I'm too young to die!**

***** **glee131313: I'm really sorry to hear that, but I would really like to know your reasons for it.**

***** **MarianaThamiris: You, my friend, are also getting a proper reply on a PM. Still, I am really glad and happy that you liked the story so much. In answer to your questions, Mother Earth will probably be the one to marry them, still considering my options though; I still don't know about room arrangements and there will probably be a kiss, but I don't really know under which circumstances.**

***** ** : I do hope you liked this chapter, and that after such a cliffhanger I didn't disappoint you. That would make me really sad, actually. I'm really happy that you liked it so much, it makes me feel really flattered.**

***** **Ice Ranger: Thanks a lot for the long review, now I'll write you a long reply because I can't exactly PM you. Wow, you just touched so many points, where to start? Well, first of all thank you for your compliments towards me and the story. **_**The rush**_** was such an improvised concept, but what I wanted to show was that even the purest can be corrupted by raw power such as that. OH, and yeah, you were the one with the comments! You gave me a lot to think about, and now I'll answer reply to them. I don't believe Jack is letting Elsa 'step over' him; sometimes is just better to give in or to be passive about it in order to avoid a greater confrontation. We're speaking about him being very, very old, even if he doesn't look like it. Also, in this last chapters Jack is emotionally confused about the strange sensations the queen causes in him, and of course that makes him a bit distracted. What I meant to say that Elsa had considered being friends, maybe a phrased it wrong, but I rephrased it in this chapter also as 'she was willing to listen', because maybe he was just misunderstood. No, she hasn't forgiven him at all, but the truth is she has to get married to him, and they have to learn how to coexist without killing each other. **

**Regarding your last question, the ending is honestly a bit fuzzy for me right now. I know where I want to go, but I'm still on the how to get there; still, I don't see a reason why Jack should become, as you put it, 'useless'. Let me explain; I honestly believe it's the other way around, that Elsa will be the one supporting Jack in the end. I do write more about Elsa in the story, and many times I do make more emphasis on her, but I think that's because I understand how she things better than Jack. Elsa will eventually surpass Jack in regard her powers, but it's because she has something that Jack doesn't; I have the idea of her making him realize this, and it will help the prince come out of his shell. I don't know how the story will end, but I wouldn't like Elsa to beat Old Man Winter; yes, she is more than a pawn and plays an important role, but Jack's fight with his father is only his to win.**

**I hope this made sense, please feel free to ask me anything through a PM or through my Tumblr: cleareyes95. I also hope you liked this chapter and that I'll be hearing from you soon. (Yes, I wrote your reply at the end because it's the longest and I can't PM you hehehe.) I really appreciated your comments, thanks a lot!**

**And so this is the end of another chapter, and I believe this end wasn't as… intense… as the last one. I hope I'm forgiven and to those who I promised a PM, you will sure get one. Thanks again to all those who added the story to their alerts and favorites; also those who added _me_ to their alerts and favorites, and to those who only click on the story and are currently reading it. Please leave a review to let me know what you think, and if you're going to say something like 'I hate this or that', I would very much like to hear your reasons why. Just 'hating' doesn't really explain much, does it?**

**Until we meet again,**

**ClearEyes.**


	15. Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen

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**Hello beautiful people! I'm sorry for the long wait, I had a week of vacations and my fatal flaw is laziness, so I took a small break. That is omitting the fact that I had like twenty different ideas for this one chapter and I didn't know which one to take, which caused me to rewrite this one like four different times. Most of you have been asking why I brought up the baby think in the last chapter and I'll explain it now. In my mind, Elsa is resigned to the fact that she will eventually marry and eventually have a son, she can't really avoid it even if she doesn't like it; she is also trying to see the positive side of things, because children should never be a curse, they should be always a blessing. And seeing the way Jack was so willing to sacrifice the life of children, she couldn't help but worry what would happen to her own when she had it. I wanted to give that kind of insight, I'm sorry if it wasn't clear enough.**

**Allright, I'm reaching a point in my life where I'm really insecure and doubting what I do. I redid this chapter so many times, and reread even more, and still I'm afraid you might not like it and that it's not what you expected hehehe. I like to give surprises, believe me there are surprised in this chapter, and I love some parts how it turned out but it's frustrating because when I'm about to upload it I start doubting. It's so darn annoying! *groans* That out, rant over, sorry for it hehe. ****I hope you ENjOY this chapter as well, and that it fulfills your expectations. Thanks a lot for your support and for clicking on this story and sticking with it so far. Thanks for bearing with my mistakes also hehehe... yeah... sorry about them.**

* * *

"How could you be so _reckless_?" Tooth asked in an exasperated tone to Jack while she paced his personal studio. She had searched for _hours_, and she hadn't found any sign of the queen. There weren't footprints or any trace that she had moved from the lake, but there weren't any signs of battle either. No signs of Elsa having used her powers to defend or attack… she had just… vanished. She was worried sick, and she would stay that way unless she found Elsa safe and sound.

The prince wore a tight expression; he was starring outside his window, frowning; a contemplative look on his face while he bit his bottom lip pretty hard. He didn't answer the fairy; in fact, he tuned her out as he thought about what transpired only that afternoon. He shouldn't have left her there alone, not with someone as his father wanting her dead. How many spirits were willing to kill, or do something worse, in exchange for a good pay? Plenty! Who would pay them? Old Man Winter! But it wasn't until he was halfway through the Atlantic Ocean that he rationalized his decision and cursed loudly for his foolishness and blindness. Still his pride still got the better of him and he decided to wait until he arrived to the palace. Once there, he asked Tooth to go fetch the queen and told her where they had been. He didn't need to ask the fairy to avoid telling the queen the part about him asking, so he didn't worry _much_… that is until Toothiana took way longer than she should have, and when she did returned, it was queen-less. That sounded every alarm in Jack's head. He would deny it later, but he was really _worried_.

"I know Tooth," he replied to the fairy's ranting, interrupting and hoping that would shut her up so he could think. He turned to face her, and he opened his mouth to speak, when she flew straight towards him, raising an accusatory finger that she directed towards his face.

"No, Jack, you don't! I get that you didn't want me watching her performance; we're not done with _that_ talk by the way, but that is not an excuse to leave her alone in the middle of a forest. When you decided to _marry_ her and brought her here, away from everything she knows, she became your responsibility. So it doesn't matter how much she might have pissed you off, you can't just run from it and expect there will be no consequences," the fairy kept speaking, almost yelling, unloading her current frustration and anger towards the prince. "And now she's missing, and we've got no way of finding her, and she could be anywhere, she could be even _hurt_ and all because-"

Jack took a deep breath, trying to appear strong. He knew, everything she was saying was _true_, it was his fault, and still each word stung greater than the last. Hurt mixing with guilt and many years of self-depreciation, all taking its toll on the prince in that one argument. "I _do_ know, Tooth!" he finally exclaimed, his ears buzzing from the fairy's voice and the truth in her accusations. "I know you blame me, and you're right to do so," he replied in no more than a murmur, his previous strength gone, "it was _my_ fault because I pushed her too hard, because even when she was exhausted she still had the strength to stand up to me, telling me with her eyes how much she really despised me, and because I was not able to _bear_ it. I couldn't take her rejection, even if I caused it. When she spoke to me, told me _her_ truth, how she sees me… I didn't want to listen; I didn't want to see what she saw, I didn't want to admit that despite everything her words still hurt… it was easier for me to leave and so I did; and now you have no idea how I regret that decision."

His heart to heart confession made Tooth able to push aside her anger and frustration and to recognize the boy she believed to be lost. He was still vulnerable; he was still unexperienced and afraid. He had made a mistake and he despised himself for it. She realized then, that there was a slight possibility that his feelings for a certain queen ran deeper than they seemed, that he cared more than he wanted to admit. He was guarding himself the only way he knew how, building walls and pushing everyone away. But in that moment all those crumbled down and it shone in his eyes… even if he didn't realize it yet. However, that didn't justify or erased what he did and it didn't change it. He would apologize and regret later, because now they had a missing queen to find and Tooth wouldn't rest until she was back in the palace safe and sound, and only _then_ could she worry about Jack's feelings and its implications.

But attacking him now wouldn't do any good to either of them, so Tooth crossed her arms across her chest, "what are you going to do now?" she asked grudgingly, "I'll finish scolding you later, now we need to find her. Pitying yourself won't bring her back."

Her words stung, as she knew they would, and Jack visibly flinched. Sometimes people needed a not so subtle push to get back on their feet. He knew she was right and so he needed to get his s*** together and find her bride-to-be. Jack raised his head and squared his shoulders, "we go back to the lake, we look for clues about her whereabouts, we find her and bring her back," he declared and went towards a perch in the corner where he hung his cape.

"I already looked, there's nothing there," the fairy commented half-heartedly, because she knew that she might have missed something, she wasn't perfect. Her chances increased if she recalled that she hadn't been looking for subtleties then, she was looking for a full sized queen. Yeah, she could've very well _missed_ something.

"No one can just vanish, Tooth," the prince replied slightly annoyed as he fastened his cape on his shoulders and grabbed his staff, which was leaning against the wall, "and I won't rest until I find her or anything that can tell me where she is."

Jack opened the window and leaped, the wind catching him immediately and taking him back towards the lake. Tooth pursed her lips tightly in worry before she too followed the prince out the window.

* * *

"Please, don't look at me like that," Bunny told a glaring queen with a smug grin as he walked to a flat boulder with what looked like painting tools, "it's not so bad once you get used to it."

Elsa huffed in indignation, "says the giant rabbit that isn't tied to a chair… oh, and did I forget to mention who isn't kidnapped?" she retorted sarcastically and seriously pissed off. Why on Earth did those unearthly beings believed they had the right to kidnap people as they pleased and without reason at all? It didn't matter if it was for money, or power, or to gain something, _nothing_ justified kidnapping someone else. Her situation wasn't the best, and she needed to figure out what did the rabbit know about her; he could've been working for Jack's sadistic father, or maybe it was a stupid coincidence that he took _her_ and not someone else. Whatever the case, she couldn't let her guard down.

The rabbit turned to look at her and shrugged, seemingly nonchalantly even when he too looked cautious of her, "nothing personal," he said. "I just needed something that will get the arrogant brat to listen for a few minutes and you just happened to be there," then his attention returned to the white canvas as he, or it, contemplated what would look pretty on it.

The queen huffed in a manner that would've embarrassed her parents had they seen her, "and what makes you think the _brat_ will show up?" she asked testing the waters, "am I supposed to play the damsel in distress until he does? Do you want me to tear up and beg and plead, because that's not going to happen," Elsa retorted in her same sarcastic tone as she shifted uncomfortably; her arms were tied to her torso tightly with thick ropes, her torso was tied to the back of a chair and her ankles were tied together. Whoever taught this rabbit how to tie prisoners deserved a standing ovation, of course if only she could _stand_! She felt grateful though for the fact that the giant rabbit hadn't gagged her.

The rabbit rolled his eyes, deciding on not paying attention to her provocations, "I am pretty sure he'll show up, don't worry about that," he replied while he traced some lines in the canvas with a black stick.

"And I'm pretty sure he won't," Elsa replied with apparent confidence. After _that_ argument, the prince was probably pretty pissed at her, but he still needed her and if he dared to take her away from Arandelle in the death of the night, she wasn't so sure he wouldn't arrive to the beautiful garden she was currently in to get her back. She didn't know how to feel about that, honestly. She didn't want to be a prisoner, but she didn't want to go back with Frost to the Winter Palace after what happened with the kids. She wasn't sure she was ready to let that matter go.

She struggled with the rope once more, but when she felt her skin hurt at the movement she stopped. The ropes were too tight and she would only hurt herself if she tried to wiggle out of them. She could try to freeze them, and she was sure that would help, but she didn't have the strength to snap them once they were encased in ice. She still felt pretty exhausted from her previous display of power. Besides, with the rope being so tight to her own body, it was probable she would end up encasing herself in an icy box, and she really couldn't think of anything _lovable_ at the moment that would help her thaw it. She cursed Frost in her mind, blaming him for many reasons about her current predicament.

"If I'm not mistaken, and you aren't a liar," Bunny's voice interrupted her thoughts, "if you are living in the Winter Palace then you must have some sort of importance to the royal brat," he declared confidently with a sly smirk on his face.

"And why would you think that?" she spat, getting really annoyed at his cockiness and overconfidence. She hated to feel herself at the mercy of someone else, rendered completely useless despite her powers.

"Not a living soul," he continued, "has inhabited the Winter Palace in more than two hundred years; the exception being, of course, the Tooth Fairy and the brat himself. That alone makes you privileged among the other sprites, which I'm using to my convenience," Bunny said nonchalantly, as if really didn't matter. Yeah, because she was such a valuable product everyone wanted to play with and use as they pleased. Because she wasn't a living being and she didn't have any rights. Tears of indignation prickled at her eyes but she refused to cry; at least she knew that the rabbit didn't know she was a human queen about to marry the prince. That small fact was, somehow, a relief; word hadn't spread out so she wasn't a show… yet.

"I don't think he cares _that_ much," she retorted, deciding to play the dumb card a while longer. Bunny shot her a quizzical look and a raised eyebrow, but didn't comment on it. It was usual for the sprites of a season to hold their regent with reverence and awe, but this one didn't. That was plain unusual, and maybe the reason she was at the palace in the first place. Thins might turn out to be _interesting_, the rabbit couldn't help but think. The silence that followed extended for a few minutes while Bunny made a sketch and Elsa was lost in her thoughts; in the end, she couldn't resist her curiosity. "Why has no one lived on the Winter Palace? What happened there?" she finally asked, biting her lip and looking down, slightly embarrassed for asking.

Another eyebrow went up on Bunny's burrow, "you must be newly born, then," he commented before setting aside the black stick and turning to look at the queen, assessing her with a critical eye. Then he decided it was worth a shot; it was not like she could escape or anything. He had practice with tying up winter spirits, and he did so in a way they couldn't use their freezing powers without freezing themselves, so she wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon. "A long time ago, a little over two hundred years ago, Old Man Winter decided to kick all those who lived in the Winter Palace out."

Elsa frowned in thought, "yeah, I remember Tooth telling me something about that," she commented and Bunny confirmed with an appreciative hum.

"Well, after that the only living being in the palace was Old Man Winter, the king. Rumor has it that he was so afraid of a conspiracy against him, that he decided to make his own servants as soon as he learned how," he continued, and Elsa's eyes widened.

She definitely didn't know that, and she didn't dare to think about being all alone in that huge palace for so long. She had her own experience to account for, and she wouldn't wish the same upon anyone; and she was only twenty one years old!

"However," Bunny wasn't finished, "a hundred and something years later, almost two hundred, the brat mysteriously appeared seemingly out of nowhere. It became a pretty nasty rumor that didn't please Old Man Winter at all, and many other immortals didn't like the newest prince. I think it was because they didn't approve his existence rather than something particular against him, who was at the time only a boy. I even pitied him until he decided to mess with me and my season, because he's nothing more than a spoiled brat."

_I can relate to that_, the queen thought but didn't comment aloud because she didn't want to give more information than the necessary to her captor. Still, there was a question that bothered her, "but the Old Man Winter doesn't live in the palace anymore, why?"

The Bunny's eyebrows rose as immersed as he was in the story, "that's an interesting twist to the story," he continued the tale. "As the years went on the prince grew, and so did the repulsion that Old Man Winter felt towards him. Even when it was his son, he couldn't look at him without making a grimace of disgust, and the tension grew. Mother Earth, a good friend of mine, had to intervene," Elsa's interest peaked as she heard that name being mentioned. "She threatened Old Winter with the _exile_, do you know what that is?"

The queen shook her head, trying not to look amused. The rabbit really thought she was a 'newborn sprite', as he called her, and was treating her like a child. That was still her best bet, so she had to play along with it. "Immortals can't die," Bunny explained, "so the _council_ decided on an appropriate punishment for those who harmed or killed humans on purpose in order to protect them. When they sentence someone to the exile, they take their powers from them and turn them human, so that they can live the rest of their lives in misery and, eventually, die."

The queen had to use every ounce of will power not to show indignation of any sort, even when she just wanted to scream. No wonder they valued humans so little, if their worst possible fate was to be turned into one of them. Still, she controlled herself well; _conceal, don't feel, don't let it show_.

"So, where was I?" Bunny asked out loud mostly to himself, "oh, right. So she threatened Old Winter with exile if any harm came to the boy. He didn't like it, obviously, but he had no choice but to comply. His conspiracy theories returned not too long after and he grew restless, tired. And so, he planned with other immortals that didn't like the brat to kill him and make it look like an accident." Elsa gasped.

She couldn't help it, and when she realized she had done it she blushed madly and looked away. She was assaulted by questions, _how could a father kill his child? Why would he even think about that?_ She had always felt insecure about her powers, but her parents had always been supportive too. Elsa didn't know what she would've done if her parents had tried to _kill_ her to save the trouble she brought. It was awful.

"The plan failed, obviously," Bunny continued, "and Mother Earth became furious when she found out. Still, as no actual harm came to Frost, except for some minor bruises, she couldn't exile Old Man Winter. Instead, she banished him from his palace with the help of the council, making the prince responsible of the cold season," he finished and decided to add a bonus. "Mother Earth forced a deal on _the king_ to prevent further incidents, though: if the prince found a _bride _and had an heir, Old Man Winter would have to surrender the throne, making Frost the king with all the powers and responsibilities the title has."

The queen almost choked. So that was the reason, that's why he wanted a bride, that's why he wanted an heir. It certainly lighted things up, even if it didn't erase his past actions. Elsa couldn't help but feel the tiniest sympathy for the prince, because in the end he only wanted what she had always pursued: freedom. She could relate to that. His ways were wrong, there were many things he could've thought through, but in the end he only wanted what she wanted.

Bunny's snort brought her out of her thought, and she looked up as he returned to his drawing, "I pity the poor girl who will marry the ice cube, of course, if he can find her." Elsa didn't reply, instead stared at the horizon thinking that this was turning out to be the longest day in her entire existence.

* * *

By sundown, Jack and Toothiana arrived back at the lake. Many hours had passed since the queen's disappearance, and that didn't reassure either of them much. They decided to split up and look for clues around the lake, as the prince grew restless and increasingly frustrated because he couldn't find any. There were no footprints, no marks of any kind, no blood (for which he was actually thankful) which left them as they began. He was constantly running a hand through his hair in an exasperated manner; someone just didn't disappear into thin air!

Tooth wasn't any better, creative and awful imaginary settings in which the queen wasn't well at all. She was cold in a cave, shivering; she was wounded and couldn't move; she was bleeding out somewhere unconscious. She cursed her mind as she flew back to the prince. "Maybe we should call someone to help," the fairy suggested, flying nervously around Jack and playing with her hands anxiously.

"And who, dear Toothiana, could we call?" Jack replied in an annoyed tone with a groan and a roll of his eyes that reflected his inner turmoil. He was really near the stage of pulling at his hair and biting his fingers until they bled.

"Bunny was here earlier, perhaps he saw something," Tooth casually said, recalling hearing the voice of his longtime friend and scolding herself for not thinking about it earlier. She also noticed that the prince had stopped dead on his tracks, his eyes wide with sudden realization and his shoulders tense. Out of the blue it all became so clear and so obvious, that he was conflicted between releasing a relieved sigh or punching a tree.

"He was here?" he asked in a tight voice. He turned his eyes to the fairy slowly, silent annoyance and a bit of anger. The fairy nodded slowly, not yet comprehending what he did, "and why didn't you say so _before_?"

Toothiana only shrugged, not understanding why it was important Bunny's appearance with Elsa's disappearance just yet. "I didn't think it was _that_ important. You know, Easter is near and-"

"Where?" Jack snapped, interrupting the fairy, with such fierceness as she had never seen before. Too surprise was she that she just stared at the prince with wide doe eyes for a few seconds, but for the prince it felt much longer than that. "Where did you see him?" he repeated more apprehensively, which brought the fairy back to reality.

"I didn't exactly see him, but I heard his voice over there," she signaled to the bushes near the pond where the queen had been when Jack left her. He again felt conflicted over if he should sigh in relief or groan in annoyance. Even if she wasn't yet found, the fact that she wasn't with his father was enough to settle some of his nerves. That didn't mean, though, that she was safe or that the Easter kangaroo wouldn't pay for this. He was personally going to make sure that this didn't stay unpunished.

He flew slowly towards the area the fairy was pointing too, and it was easy to spot two unusual flowers standing out from the rest. Now that he knew what to look for, it became way easier to find. Tooth followed him, "what did you find?" she asked and leaned in to have a better view. She caught a glimpse of the first flower and she was about to ask how that was helpful in any way, until she saw the other one. Those flowers were the aftermath of a tunnel, a tunnel made by Bunny, and they were used for transport. Had Bunny left alone, there would've been one flower, but there were two. "Oh," she could only say as realization dawn on her. She trusted her friend so much that she didn't even consider for a minute he could've taken her. Why? He didn't even _know_ her. The fairy was honestly puzzled, and she didn't really want to believe that her friend had ill intention towards Elsa.

"I'm sorry to break it to you" Jack said as if reading her mind, "but the kangaroo took _Elsa_."

It was the first time he used her name like that, and it was laced with genuine concern and worry. It was the first time Tooth heard such inflections on his voice, such feelings in his words. She was surprised, amazed and a bit jealous, if she had to be honest with herself. She had worked so hard to receive the smallest sign of affection since he was nothing more than a boy, and he had yet to show something of the sort. It was the kind of jealousy a sister or a mother experiences when their boy is completely smitten by another girl, a practical _stranger_, just to name an example. It felt so wrong to feel that way, and combining those feelings of sudden jealousy with her concern for Bunny's actions, she suddenly felt sick. However, she said nothing about it.

Jack's voice brought her out of her reverie, and she looked at him just when he put in place a not so innocent smirk that screamed of mischief, "now we go _down the rabbit hole_." For some reason, Tooth didn't trust that look.

* * *

Elsa was still looking at the horizon lost in her thoughts when she realized it was already sunset. All the day had gone by in a whirlwind of intense emotions, and the queen felt exhausted. The physical exertion of her body on one side, the feelings throughout the day and the revelations made were giving her a headache; that without taking into account the fact that she hadn't had anything to eat or drink since that morning. As an echo of her thoughts, her stomach growled. She groaned; she didn't want to think anymore, but her mind always returned to Jack Frost. She had expected to hear anything about him, she was ready to say some spiteful things herself, but she had never imagined feeling sympathy towards him. She had never imagined his life would be… well… like that. She hated to admit that he had it much harder than her, and she hated herself because she didn't loathe him as much as before. She sighed; he was supposed to be the villain of the story, and now she couldn't see him as such. That bothered her immensely and contradicted all of her ideas, but of course, it might as well have been her hunger and exhaustion speaking. Whatever it was, it was working effectively in pissing her off. Bunny had gone to clean up a while ago, her back was stiff and hurting, she couldn't feel her hands any longer and she just wanted to sleep. Forget eating, she wanted to shut off her mind!

She heard movement on the grass and turned to see Bunny heading her way with a steaming bowl of soup. When he reached her, he had his ears pressed flat against his head and he was looking sheepishly at her, "I thought you might be hungry," he said and placed the bowl in the boulder where he previously sat.

With the delicious smell of the broth, Elsa's stomach growled again and she blushed, which prompted Bunny to laugh a little awkwardly. "If only I could move," she commented nonchalantly with a small smile and the rabbit pulled out a knife from his belt. The queen's eyes widened in alarm; he was still her kidnapper and a knife could do a lot of stuff.

Bunny perceived his uneasiness and raised his hands, his palms to the front, "I'm not going to hurt you, I'm just going to cut the ropes," he said as calmly as he could to avoid freaking Elsa out.

The queen frowned in confusion, "why would you do that?" she asked suddenly suspicious of his actions. He was about to say something, when something rustled the bushes around them and Bunny tensed up, smelling the air with his nose. Then, he took the knife in a defensive pose and stood protectively in front of Elsa. She on her part got sudden chills, and they had nothing to do with the cold; she shivered.

"Because he is a fool," a disembodied voice mocked before a man of grey skin and yellow ice materialized in front of them both. Bunny's stance tensed even more, if that was possible, and the man just snickered. "Great job holding her hostage rabbit, but I'm afraid she is needed elsewhere. Hand her over," the man demanded and extended his hand in a seemingly pacific act.

Nevetheless, Elsa knew it was just a fake. She had met men like that before, men more than willing to stab someone from behind just to get what they wanted. She didn't trust him, but his words managed to plan a seed of doubt in her mind regarding Bunny. Even when they were so different, it was plain obvious and not just because he was a giant talking rabbit, he still kidnapped her and was planning on using her. Wasn't them both the same kind of men, then? "Did you plan this?" she managed to ask in a strangled voice to Bunny, who whipped his head quickly in her direction before returning his eyes to the man before them.

"Of course not!" he exclaimed in outrage. "He's lying," he added and prepared to attack the man who killed his family, the man who forced him to live alone.

The man in front of them had the nerve to look bored, "I guess then that I'll have to take her by force," he said as he looked at the dirt on his fingernails, "it's such a pain."

"Why do you want her for?" Bunny then demanded, aiming to buy them some time while he could figure a good way to distract Pitch enough to cut the ropes tying Elsa and hide her in a tunnel, away from the boogeyman's reach.

Pitch snorted mirthlessly, "I don't want her, it's simply an errand," he replied as he started to move towards them. Elsa shifted uncomfortably, grimacing in pain when the rope rubbed against her sore skin and her stiff muscles protested, while Bunny crouched down very low.

"Seriously? Who would ask you to bring them a pretty newborn winter sprite?" he asked mockingly. The joke, though, didn't please Pitch and his eyes hardened. If eyes could kill, Bunny would have been already dead.

"Are you stupid, rabbit, or plain ignorant?" Pitch asked depreciatively. "She is much more than that," that said he moved his hand forward and a shadow started to creep towards them at alarming velocity. Bunny crouched even lower, ready to defend himself and Elsa, when a blast of ice that appeared from practically nowhere sent the boogeyman smashing against a wall, encasing him in a thick armor of ice, trapping him and rendering immobile. The shadow vanished as Pitch lost his concentration.

Bunny and Elsa looked up to see Frost with an angry frown on his face and Tooth with his eyes filled with concern. Elsa sighed relieved because no shadow was after her anymore, but it didn't last long as her turmoil of emotions quickly overcame said relief. She resisted the urge to scream out of sheer frustration. Bunny scowled; the brat better unfreeze his warren. Then he remembered the reason Elsa was with him in the first place and he almost regretted what he was about to do; _almost_, because he also remembered the brat's and his sprites' pranks.

The prince floated down gently and stood defensively in front of Pitch, pointing his staff at him. The now cornered, quite literally, man just chuckled mirthlessly at the sight of him, "almost," he breathed and Jack's angry frown deepened.

"Why are _you_ after her?" the prince demanded with a fierce and sharp tone, his fists closing painfully around the wood of his staff.

"As I told the rabbit, it was an errand," Pitch said with a sly smile, "for _your_ father."

Jack snarled and Elsa could see the ice thickening around Pitch's torso, "you're working for him now?" he asked threateningly, showing his teeth in an hostile manner.

"Oh, Jack," he caressed the word, which made the prince flinch visibly, "don't you know that nothing goes better together than cold and dark?" Then Pitch merged back into the shadows of the wall, while his disembodied voice cackled in very unsettling manner, "we'll see each other again, and when we do, you might not be so triumphant."

Jack thawed the ice in the wall and looked for any signs of the boogeyman, but he was gone. Only then did he dare to breathe even if just a bit in relief, only to remember that Elsa was still tied and in the hands of E. Aster Bunnymund. He knew he wasn't particularly dangerous, not as Pitch anyway, but he also knew that he wasn't friendly of him or the sprites under his wing. The prince honestly feared what Bunny could do, so he turned slowly and saw the rabbit's hand on Elsa's shoulder. It didn't look hostile, but then he caught a glimpse of the knife in his other hand and he tensed up.

Tooth was still floating above, stunned and surprised. Everything had happened so fast, and she could do nothing but watch. She had hoped that Bunny didn't have the queen, but apparently she was wrong. She was confused and hurt, because seeing the rabbit in her current state made her think that she might have been wrong about him. She didn't know what to think, so she decided to focus on getting Elsa back to safety. Later she'd talk to Bunny about it and scold him if necessary, but now she had to arrange her priorities.

The rabbit saw the change in them, realized he still had the knife, and against his better judgment he decided to use it for his advantage. He pointed the knife to the queen's throat, even if he would never willingly hurt her, and both the fairy and the prince tensed up. He avoided the queen's incredulous gaze, full of confusion and hurt, and instead went along his initial plan.

Jack gave a step forward and pointed his crooked staff at Bunny, only to have him tilt the knife a bit so that it would en right where the principal artery was located. The prince stopped, and Bunny started his act with a sideways smirk, "that's wise," he said in a mocking tone, "we were just talking about you," he said, aiming to start what apparently was idle, friendly conversation… with a knife to the throat of the queen.

"Release her now," Jack demanded, not willing to fall into the rabbit's game, his stony gaze cold and angry.

"I don't think so," Bunny replied, "not until you listen and comply with my demands." He was so, so sorry. He didn't even know why he was doing that anymore, why he thought it was a good idea. He could still back down, a part of him reminded, but his pride stood up and refused. He was going to teach the brat not to mess with spring at all costs. _Really, you're willing to pay so much a price?_

The prince considered, never moving his gaze from Elsa or Bunny, and after a few seconds he sighed defeated. He took a step back and opened his arms, not letting go of his staff but showing that he was not going to use it. "I'm listening," honestly, he was freaking out seeing the knife against Elsa's neck and he hoped that by putting away his weapon, Bunny would put away his. He did, even if just slightly, but at least it wasn't that close to her flesh.

"You will tell every one of your sprites not to mess with mine. You and your subordinates will leave the place at most three days before spring arrives, the snow takes time to melt anyway, and you will keep them at bay with their pranks," Bunny said in a strong, demanding voice that made Elsa flinch a bit. She pursed her lips and ignored the stinging in her eyes, again she was being used as a mean to get something. She was really tired of being treated like an object, but she would not cry. She would not give them the satisfaction of seeing her cry.

Tooth seemed to understand her distress, for she too was on the verge of crying. Her reasons were slightly different though; she did feel sorry for her friend, no one deserved to be treated like that and she knew what if felt like. But what hurt her more was that her friend, Bunny, was the one behaving this way. It hit a nerve that reminded her too much of her time when she was haunted, and she didn't want to associate him with that. Also, Jack wasn't behaving much better either. The boy she had treated like a son, the boy she loved so much and was eager to save, was also responsible of the same thing. It hurt her to realize so many things at once and so suddenly, she felt as if she had been cheated all along, blind by her own hand. But not anymore, she decided, not anymore.

"Even if the winter sprites _are_ my subordinates, they are free spirits," Frost replied slowly, with caution; he did not want to anger the rabbit with the knife, "there are things I cannot force them to do."

"That's not my problem, is it Frost?" Bunny retorted harshly, and Jack looked down feeling trapped and cornered. Not a feeling he liked, even when he was quite familiar with it.

"I'll try, I'll do my best to ensure it's done," the prince replied after a few minutes of thinking, "now release her." Bunny smirked, not quite believing his eyes. The brat did care; he did have a soft spot. He decided to cut the man some slack and finally cut the ropes tying Elsa up.

She felt immediate pain as the circulation returned to her stiff limbs, and she grimaced in pain. She stood up and her knees almost failed her; Jack took a step forward, and unconsciously took one back, almost falling back on the chair. The prince blinked away the hurt and looked at Tooth; she didn't need another indicator. She dived down fast and swept the queen in her arms, returning to the air in less than a minute. Elsa took a bit longer to process it, and when she did she looked into the fairy's eyes. Everything that happened that day caught up to the queen and before she knew it, before she could control it, tears started rolling down her cheeks and she buried her head in the crook of Tooth's neck and cried there. The fairy's grip tightened, trying to transmit some sort of comfort. Without waiting for Jack's signal or order of any kind, she flew away with the queen, but she didn't go towards the Winter Palace, she flew towards her own.

Jack stayed a few more minutes in front of Bunny, though. Each staring the other down, both refusing to back down; finally, the prince spoke, "I'll say this only once. If you ever take _Elsa_ again, I won't be so willing to consider your demands." Again he said her name with that new inflection of emotion, which he hadn't showed towards anyone in many, many years.

"Aw, you do care," Bunny replied snidely, his grin widening. Jack's face contorted rage, but before he could reply the rabbit continued, "_Who_ is she? Why is Old Man Winter after her?" he asked with genuine concern, his smirk disappearing.

The prince made a sour face, "it's none of your business," he spat and turned to leave.

"This isn't a joke," Bunny called to him, "I _am_ concerned about her." His ears pressed flat against his skull.

"Says the one who kidnapped her and pressed a knife to her throat," Jack yelled back angrily without turning his back because if he did he might have hit him.

"I'm serious Frost," Bunny snapped while the prince breathed through his nose hoping to maintain his temper in check, "I'll never touch her again, I'll never threaten her again, but I'd like to know if she's going to be safe with _you_."

Jack finally turned to Bunny in obvious indignation and contained anger, "of course she'll be safe with me! I'll make sure of that," and then he took the wind and flew off the warren, leaving a very puzzled rabbit behind. However, as confused as he was, he was also stubborn and determined. He would get answers, and if he could he would protect Elsa from Pitch, because when that guy was involved, no one was safe.

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**So… love it, hate it? I would really love to read your reviews on this chapter, where there was more about Jack's past, there was another villain introduced and an alliance they have together. What could they possibly be planning? Nothing good, of course! I've gotten a pretty useful suggestion twice already and I think I might put it into action from this point on, to save time and length:**

**To DragonHeart64, Zejo, Miss Anly, itzi-itzi, strongyu, ForeverDelighted, manh, SecretSuccubus, silvermist-ique*, kuro-d, res123, OptimusPrimeAddict, Tatshana, moon72, Guest (I really wish I knew your name or pseudonym), IceRanger*, BleepBlop1, VK*, doubLL, Kittyof Death, HopelessRomantic183, kkm19, maggi . lefay, AllThingsAwesome, SaphireDragon15 (and 14 ;) ), Katface-chan, Charlene, Bigby the Big Bad Wolf, Meiji no Pan, Milotech, Silvermist, Guest (I feel bad for calling you this hehe, sorry), RedQuxxnRed, MissBrambleHaftenravenscher, Rinhearts, FrostSapphire, Moonbender95, Trapid*, Love-PRN, Insane PJO LOver 93:**

**I need to thank all of you for your amazing and constant support. It's awesome, and every time I read your reviews I get fuzzy and giddy inside, and really guys I feel so flattered you like the story so much and that you're so passionate about it. To all those who sent me a long review (please keep sending those), I'll reply better and longer in a PM. To those who don't have an account but expect a reply, I marked your name and I'll reply below. It still is kind of a long Author Note, but nothing like the ones before. I also must thank the one who called this story a _hit_, because that term honestly made my day! Any questions you might have please PM me, and if you see any typos feel free to do it as well.**

***Silvermist-ique: Hey! I must say that your review made me really concerned, because I think is some kind of cyberbully. Precisely because of that I didn't want to speak of it so openly, so I tracked you down and sent you a couple of messages, but you haven't replied as far as I know and I'm honestly a little concern. Please reply back and tell me how it is going.**

***IceRanger: Rest assured because I'm trying my best to give equal importance to both of them (which is a pain, btw). I'm really glad you liked the chapter so much, and there are so many things you talked about. It makes me really, really happy! I hope you liked this chapter also, in which there are more Jelsa feels and such. I eagerly await your next review, and don't worry, keep them long ;). **

***Trapid: I'm really glad you like the story so far, and thank you very much for the compliments. If I leave you hanging often then it means I'm doing a pretty good job, aren't I? I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well! Have a very nice day!**

***VK: Hey! I missed you! Thanks so much for reviewing. I'm really happy you like the story so far, I was honestly a bit nervous. Thanks for the compliments too, you are really sweet. I hope you liked this chapter too!**

**Well, this is it! Thanks a lot to all those who are reading the story anonymously, to those who added it to their alerts and/or their favorites. Thanks a lot to those who added _me_ to any of those lists too, I'm really flattered. I honestly didn't think it would be _this_ popular. I'm trying to shape the story in the way I want it to go, because I have a very clear sort of ending in my mind. As you might have noticed, this story isn't _only_ about Jack and Elsa falling in love, even when that is a central topic. It is a pretty complex plot, with complex characters, and, well, I'm sorry if it bothers you in any way.**

**Until we meet again,**

**ClearEyes.**


	16. Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

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**Hello beautiful people! The hardest week of the school year has started, meaning finals. Thank you everyone for your support and your patience, I worked really hard on this chapter and I really hope you like it. I'm actually quite excited for it, and I have a feeling it's might be quite emotional for some of you, and if I get to get a tear out of your eye then it will mean I did a good job. However, I don't think the chapter is strong enough to draw tears just yet. I really hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it, because I have my hopes placed here and such. Now, without further ado, I present to you chapter fifteen!**

**P.s.: I apologize in advance for any mistakes in grammar, typos, or maybe not so understandable sentences. I did my best, as English isn't my native language, and I can only hope that my best was enough.**

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Jack arrived at the palace not long after the confrontation with Bunny. He was so angry and frustrated that the rabbit had used the queen to his personal gain. But… wasn't he doing the same? No, he was different; he _needed_ the queen to get his freedom. _While stealing hers_, a voice replied in her head, and the prince stopped dead on his tracks. He was doing the same… He needed to do something about it, he needed to talk to her about it; that's it, he would do it right then and there. Rushing, he took off his traveling cloak, gave it to one of the ice servants and walked with big steps towards the bed chambers of the queen.

Once he was in front of her doors, though, he froze in sudden nervousness. She wouldn't like to see him; in fact, she would be pretty angry at him and she would lash out at him… and he deserved it. Now he knew he really deserved her _hate_. But then why did it hurt so much? Why did his chest feel so heavy with that prospect?

Gathering his courage and taking a deep breath he knocked three times hard on the door of ice. No one answered. Maybe Tooth and Elsa were busy or didn't hear him; he knocked again three times. Again, no one answered, but he noticed that there was also no sound at all. Had they been inside at all, he would've heard their voices, the shuffling of feet or fabric or _something_. But he could hear nothing, so very slowly he opened the door and took a peek inside. He let the door slide open when he realized that the chambers were empty and they looked as if they had been so for many hours. His heart quickened up, but he forced himself to calm down with the rational thought that they may be eating something in the dining room or perhaps in the kitchens.

He flew to both places in less than a blink and realized that they weren't there. He went to one of the ice servants and touched it on the icy forehead, knowing that it had recorded everything that had happened that day since they were gone, as well as all the others. To his surprise and worry, he found out that the Tooth Fairy and Elsa didn't return to the palace at all, but why? Did something happen to them?

He was about to dart for his cloak and go looking for them when he noticed something else quite unusual. As he was watching what the servants had watched, because they had the quality of a shared memory that acted as modern security cameras, he noticed a shadow out of place. A servant with darker ice stood before a shadowed figure with boney grey hands, hands which were on the servant's forehead just as Jack's were: the figure was recovering information. What was peculiar, though, was that Jack's servants couldn't be accessed by anyone but himself, because of his particular wave of magic. As well as the ice's darker color, of course, and he got his answer as soon as he asked the question.

That servant was the spy; now that the prince knew what to look for he could actually destroy it. Good. What wasn't good was that the shadowy figure was Pitch Black; he would recognize those hands anywhere. Which meant that he was, indeed, working for Old Man Winter, but why? What could he possibly win? That also explained how Pitch found out about Elsa being missing, how he got to her mere minutes before Jack did.

The prince took his hand away and stood still for a few minutes, processing what he just saw. He could destroy the spy, which would be the safest for everyone, or use it for his own personal benefit as a double spy with an injection of his magic. Or it could turn the other way around with Pitch and Winter with access to the information that the rest of the servants held. He groaned and rubbed his forehead in frustration, why did they ally, for what purpose?

The mere thought of Elsa in the hands of the boogeyman sent a shiver down his spine and he couldn't help but remember the attack that afternoon. It had been so close, Pitch almost had her, and he had been so frightened by that. He knew Pitch felt it, what he told the prince confirmed it. He had done it on purpose, and Jack had a hunch that he wasn't only after the queen; Winter wanted the queen, Pitch wanted something else. He was exploring the terrain; looking for clues and weak points, but what he found… what he found was precisely that: his weakness. Because Jack got so scared of Elsa getting hurt, Pitch now knew he could use it against him. With a defeated sigh he leaned against the wall, trying to steady his emotions; he growled, he hadn't had trouble with them since he was a child, and that had been many, many years ago. He had buried all of it, using only his head because his head avoided hurt. And suddenly this… woman… human nonetheless… comes in and turns everything upside down and ruins his hard work.

Which led her back to the most urgent matter: Tooth and Elsa hadn't arrived to the Winter Palace that afternoon. Just how many things could go wrong in one day?! He never thought he'd say this _again_, but this was the longest day of his entire existence. He resumed his steps towards his personal study, where the servants took the cloak since he remade them, when something small and fast moving bumped into his chest. He looked down and saw none other than one of Tooth's mini-self with a piece of parchment in her tiny hands. He was puzzled, and when Baby Tooth motioned for him to take it, he did so hesitantly. The mini-fairy was looking at him wearily and a bit disdainfully, and when she made sure the message was delivered, she was fast to fly away from him. Jack watched her go sadly, because there was once a time when they didn't fly away from him, when he first met them. He had also hurt Tooth pretty badly in the past years… He groaned, why was everything collapsing all over and around him?

He looked down at the piece of parchment and what the words said only served to reassure him of the small fact that he, indeed, screwed it up with Tooth. It was a short message, but it wasn't in the least meaningless: _We are okay, you don't have to look for us_. There was only one place where they could be, then, and it was Toothiana's palace. He chuckled mirthlessly at the irony, looking at the ceiling when his eyes started to itch uncomfortably, "well done, Frost, well done." He leaned against the wall and slid down slowly; closing his eyes tight as a lone tear rolled down his cheek. He was _alone_, he was now really on his own, and reality came crashing down on top of him in a few seconds with those simple words. He managed to push away the one person who always believed in him, the one person who was always there to help him, who had treated him like… like… like a _son_.

A soft cry escaped his lips and more tears rolled down his cheeks as he finally broke down and acknowledged that Tooth had been like a second mother for him, helping him when he needed help and scolding him when he did wrong. She had done all she could to help him every time she had the chance, and she had never asked for anything in return, and now she wasn't coming back, and it was all because of him and his… blindness, foolishness, selfishness! Sheer _idiocy_!

He stood up shakily, supporting himself in the wall, and took deep breaths to steady himself. He wiped the tears away from his face and straightened himself, trying to regain a bit of his usual composture and failing miserably. What was it worth faking? Who was watching? Probably Old Man Winter was cackling on his throne as he saw his tear stained face, and yet he couldn't bring himself to care. Nothing mattered anymore, if he was all alone; however, he didn't want his _beloved_ father to have any more access to his palace. And so, he walked determined down the hall with the sole purpose of destroying the spy. Too much time had gone by with him thinking only about himself, it was about time he started doing what was _right_, even if it wasn't for him. Some say, that when one has hit the bottom, the only way to go is up.

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Toothiana was preparing a rich breakfast consisting of some nuts, fruit, cheese and yogurt that she would be taking to the queen's bedchambers where they would eat and chat as they usually did every morning. Four days had passed since the incident with the lake, Jack and Bunny, and she was feeling quite relaxed, as she hadn't done in a while. She hummed to herself as she thought it had been a great idea to take a small break from the Winter Palace. That didn't mean, though, that she didn't miss Jack. Yeah, he hurt her, he ignored her and didn't make her feel like anything she did was worth anything, but she still couldn't play blind to his pain, or ignore him, because in the end he was like a son to her.

She had always said that the circumstances changed him, and that was true, but sometimes it just got so tiring to be always present and not receive even a small acknowledgment on his part. When she talked with the queen on the lasts few days, she gave her a pretty harsh tongue lashing. She told him that Frost was nothing more than a selfish brat and that the only thing she gained from being with him was hurt. Perhaps Elsa was right, perhaps Tooth did need time on her own, her space and to stay away from Jack for a little while, as much as it pained her.

Suddenly she was interrupted by one of her Baby Teeth as she came chirping urgently into the sort of kitchen where Tooth was preparing the food. "What?" she exclaimed rather loudly, "he's _here_?" She took a moment to clean her hands before speeding up to the main platform where she received guests. He really was there, she thought, as Bunny stood uncomfortably shifting on his place with his ears pressed to his skull. She wasn't very happy with him either; she never thought he would be capable of putting an innocent life in danger, regardless of who they were. In fact, she was very, very disappointed in him, and she showed it with her stiff posture and cold gaze. "Why have you come here?" she asked sternly, causing the big rabbit to flinch visibly.

"I came to apologize," he said taking a small step forward, his ears pressing even more against his fluffy head. "I acted very wrong the other day Tooth, but it wasn't my intention to cause any harm. I know that is not an valid excuse, I should have never done that in the first place, but you know how much I dislike the brat's antics against me and my season and I had to stop him somehow," he tried to explain, stuttering, hesitating and overall failing miserably. He would never forget the hurt that passed through Toothiana's eyes when he pressed the knife to the sprite Elsa's, throat. He could see that the fairy cared about her, and he had done something completely unforgivable in her eyes.

Tooth crossed her arms across her chest, raising her chin proudly, "I know you don't like Jack, but that doesn't justify or explain why you tried to use Elsa. She is completely innocent of whatever you think she did," she defended the queen, floating towards Bunny with an imposing manner. The Tooth Fairy could be very warm-hearted and kind, but if you got on her bad side, she could throw quite a few punches too.

"She froze a pond in the coming of spring Tooth!" he all but yelled, taking a few steps back immediately and dipping his head, groaning exasperatedly, "a few weeks ago the ice _brat_ made a huge deal about how my sprites weren't respecting his sprites, and now I come and find one of his _freezing_ the pond in _spring_!" he exclaimed and took a deep breath, because he clearly wasn't over, "and not only that, but she dared to say that there were children's lives at risk, which is a downright lie. The kids don't go near the lake at this time of year, and _you_ know it. All winter _sprites_ are the same as their brat prince," he rant his complaints in order of importance and Tooth had to suppress the urge to slap that overgrown rabbit, "irresponsible, breaking agreements and overall making a mess wherever they go."

"You think Elsa is a sprite?" the fairy scoffed and laughed mirthlessly and incredulously, rolling her eyes and turning her head away from him. "You're telling me you did what you did because she is, supposedly, a _sprite_? And all of it just to spite Jack? Are you serious? I could list right now all the wrong things that there are to that plan," she added, pointedly looking at Bunny and raising her arms in an exasperated manner.

Bunny's ears perked up, and he made a face. He wasn't one to sit quietly during a tongue lashing, especially if he thought he was right. Although it intrigued him that Tooth had said that about Elsa, if she was not a sprite, then what was she? "Is that so?" he asked, daringly, challenging the fairy with a bit of a mock there too, "then enlighten me please, oh wise Tooth Fairy!"

Tooth frowned angrily, "fine," she exclaimed sarcastically. "The first thing wrong with your hot headed assumptions is that Elsa _did_ freeze the lake because children's lives _were_ at stake. It was a test Jack designed for her that I just found out about later," she started, Bunny's eyes widening and he opened his mouth to reply only to be stopped by Toothiana's raised hand. "_You_ challenged me, now you listen," she simply said and Bunny nodded, currently afraid of contradicting his friend as she was so defending so passionately her friend.

"Second wrong assumption," the fairy continued her explanation "is that you believe Elsa is a sprite."

"If she's not a sprite, then what is she?" Bunny snapped, not seeing any possible way in which he could be wrong. Sprites could take many forms, a humanoid one wasn't uncommon for the newborns as they adapted to their new environment, so he did firmly believe that.

Tooth glared at him, "Elsa is a _human_ queen meant to marry Jack," she replied, "so you could say she is the future Queen of Winter," curtly emphasizing the words so that they could fit into that giant rabbit's hot head. Bunny opened his mouth to retort something, only to find he couldn't; there was nothing he could say. He could claim it wasn't true, but in all honestly he didn't know. He did assume her to be a sprite, but Tooth did know her and she wasn't one to tell lies. If what she said was true, and it most likely was, he had kidnapped the fiancée of the brat prince. That posed a major problem for him, and he needed to fix it fast before he decided to get back at him, and to top it all he had made fun of that whole deal in front of her!

In the end, the only thing to leave his lips was a breathless "crikey" as his ears pressed against his skull once more in shame.

"Yes, Bunny, I think you made more than one mistake," Tooth then said scrunching her nose at him. "Perhaps you'd like me to continue," she then added and the rabbit just raised his paws in surrender.

"No, I… I understand," he said in a low voice. "I'm sorry Tooth, I didn't know. I jumped to conclusions and I hurt her without reason… and I hurt _you_ too. I shouldn't have done any of that, I'm really sorry," he finished his apology looking straight into the fairy's eyes, showing her his sincerity.

She stared into his eyes, not revealing anything, "that is not an excuse though. You did _very_ wrong; you hurt Elsa deeply, right when she was beginning to trust you," she continued. As she spoke, she noticed Bunny's eyes widening and the fairy rolled her own, "yeah, she told me what happened in the Warren." At that, the rabbit's ears pressed even more against his skull and his posture slouched, he looked to the ground, feeling ashamed and embarrassed. "I forgive you," Tooth added, "but I can't say the same for Elsa, or even Jack, because by hurting _her_ you hurt _him_."

Bunny groaned loudly, "you know I don't care about that bloody show pony," he said. The fairy was about to reply something, but the rabbit raised his paw to silence her, "but you do," he said instead of her, stealing her thoughts, "you've told me a thousand times already." He sighed deeply, rubbing a paw against his face, "do you know where can I find… the _queen_?"

The title sounded foreign in his mouth, and it was plain obvious in the grimace he made. He didn't have anything against Elsa herself, but she was marrying a brat he despised. His experience with the royalty of winter hadn't been a pleasant one, always having to recur to Seraphina to help him deal with the sprites and the prince himself. He had to admit, though, that it was still better than when Old Man Winter was in power. Much better actually, but still that didn't mean he liked the prince… or Elsa for that matter, at least not now, after such a big revelation.

"I'm here," the voice of the queen sounded from one of the higher platforms that lead to the different chambers and cutting the fairy's reply before it even started. Bunny straightened himself as the queen descended through some stairs she was making as she went, with her chin high and her shoulders squared. Her gaze stern, her face a mask of formality that had nothing to do with the friendly Elsa he met by the lake. The grimace again threatened to appear on his face but he contained it out of respect for the _queen_.

Bunny didn't bow though, for he wasn't that type of person. He would bow once she had earned his respect, so he didn't feel any shame when he demanded from the queen, "why didn't you tell me who you were?" he asked rather rudely. "Things would have been different had I know!"

He held the queen's gaze as she raised a skeptical eyebrow, "oh, would they really?" she asked with a slight inflection that told him she didn't really believe they would, in fact, have been any different at all. "Why did you want to see me?" she finally asked, in that same tone of voice, her eyes piercing his as much as his pierced hers in a fierce duel of gazes.

Aster then hesitated for a moment, because as much as he didn't like the winter royalty, he could see that this queen was different. There was no malice, or greed, or ill intentions; her eyes were as clear as ice itself and that was the moment Bunny felt ashamed of himself. He lowered his gaze, breaking the eye contact, and spoke with regret as his ears lowered too, "I'm sorry," he simply said and Elsa knew those words were the simplest of truths.

The queen didn't say anything for a few minutes, and she didn't really need any further explanation. She could see that the rabbit did regret what he did now that, apparently, he knew the truth. "I forgive you," she said in a calm voice and Bunny raised his head to look at her a bit puzzled, because the winter sprites he usually dealt with weren't as… willing. Oh, right, she was not a sprite. "But you do realize that the trust that you broke won't be restored that easily, right?" she asked, sadness and resignation in her eyes.

Aster nodded sadly too, but he understood. Regardless of what he had thought, regardless if it had been a great idea or an awful one, the truth was he _used_ her and thus, he broke the little trust they had managed to build. Suddenly a gust of cold wind broke the moment and they turned in time to see the prince Jack Frost himself arriving, but Elsa for a moment thought she was looking at a completely different person.

He looked plain awful! She saw straight away the dark bags under his eyes; she saw straight away his hunched shoulders and his more than usual disheveled hair that on top of it all looked kind of dirtier. She could've sworn he was paler, if that was even possible, and his hands had some dark bruises that looked a lot like burns. She knew how to recognize when someone wasn't good, and he definitely wasn't, as much as she didn't like him. Some cold, cruel part of her thought that he deserved it for all he had done. Even his flight seemed weaker, distracted, as his eyes were downcast; he raised his head and his flight faltered because he tried to back away much too suddenly. His eyes were wide with surprise, shame and a bit of fear too.

Tooth and Elsa just stared, while Bunny sneered and growled, bearing his teeth. He took a step forward, but the fairy stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "I think is time for you to leave Bunny," she said firmly, never taking her eyes off of Jack, and the rabbit understood she was serious. Grumbling, he opened a hole and jumped in, disappearing and leaving a tiny flower behind, promising on his mind to be back soon enough in order to set things straight.

After Bunny's departure, a heavy silence fell upon the queen, the fairy and the prince. For a few moments Jack just stood there awkwardly, shifting uncomfortably, looking constantly from the queen, to the fairy, to the floor only to begin the cycle anew, sometimes in reverse. Elsa and Tooth had their steely gazes fixed on him, knowing he was meant to take the first step. He took one hesitantly forward, "I…" he hesitated, his words dying in his mouth as he regarded the guarded postures of the women.

"Why have you come here, Jack?" Tooth finally asked, a bit pissed at his indecision. Hurt flashed across his eyes but he did his best to mask it, straightening himself and squaring his shoulders. Here he was, the time had come, he needed to gather his courage and say what he wanted to say.

"I…" he cleared his throat; his voice was raspy because he couldn't remember drinking anything at all in the last four days, neither could he remember eating… or sleeping. After he found the spy, he attempted to destroy it; to do so he had to fight against some pretty powerful protection magic from Old Man Winter which in the end scorched his hands. Ever heard of ice so cold it burns? Well, something like that. Finally, he could end the ice servant spying for his father and he headed straight to his bed chambers. There he laid on his bed for hours, just staring at the ceiling as he swam in his memories, in his thoughts, and by the time he realized, it had already been four days. Tooth and Elsa hadn't returned yet, and he knee he couldn't keep that up, he needed to make amends, to make it up to both of them. And so, there he was, "I'm here to apologize," he stated.

Elsa raised an incredulous eyebrow and snorted, "if you think this will make us go back to the Winter Palace, you are clearly mistaken and more of a brat than I thought," she declared and made returned the way she came, stairs of ice and all. Jack just watched, defeated, knowing it was going to be really hard to convince her that he was being honest. Tooth was momentarily torn between following Elsa _or_ listening to the prince; she turned slightly to try and convince the queen to stay, listening had never hurt nobody, but she was stopped by a soft plead.

"Don't go," Jack murmured, almost inaudible, "please, just _listen_," he pleaded and Toothiana decided against leaving. So she turned back to the prince, her stern mask still in place, and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I'm listening," she said with a firm, cold voice which made Jack flinch a bit. He wasn't used to the fairy being mad at him; well, she had been mad at him before but he had never screwed up so badly for her to get like that. He always joked about not getting on her bad side, and he had a hunch he had managed to do just that.

All the speech he had prepared decided to fly in that moment, as if it was scared of the fairy's wrath. Jack wasn't sure he wanted to stick around to see it either, but it's not like he had a choice. He sighed deeply, in a defeated fashion, "I screwed up," he started, his shoulders hunched and all trace of that fake confidence gone. "I… I'm sorry Tooth, I really am," he took a deep, shaky breath to try to steady his raging heart, his eyes never meeting hers because of how low he felt. "I know that just an apology won't make you come back and that it won't make up for all the hurt I've caused you. You… if you don't want to have _anything_ to do with me from now on," he accentuated the phrase with a sharp, horizontal movement of his arm, "I'll understand. I'll understand if you leave the palace for good, because it's been years since you could have gone and yet you stayed. You stayed with me, all along, and not once did I treat you like you deserve."

His head had risen, gaining a bit of confidence, even if just a tiny winy bit. Not a fake type of confidence made just to build a façade, but instead the type of confidence one gets when telling the truth. His eyes met hers, and she knew he was being serious. She saw his regret, she saw his pain, his remorse; his usual clouded and protected eyes were shinning with a thousand emotions he rarely let out. Her breath hitched in her throat, her eyes shone with unshed tears, and her heart felt like it was going to burst.

All her efforts, all she had done, it all had been for _him_. To protect him from harm, to keep him safe, to lift his spirits, to make him see that life _is_ worth it despite all the troubles and complications. She had always stood by in the sidelines, helping him and supporting him, and he had never known true loneliness until she left… until she left and he realized that he had no one to be _there_ for him and he had no one to _care for_. And it had been his entire fault.

The prince took another breath, this one not as shaky but twice as painful because of what he was going to say, "I know I've wronged you in many ways Tooth, and I won't force you to come back to the palace. But before we part ways, I also wanted to say _thank you_. Without you I would've been dead a long time ago, and since you met me you've been like…" his confidence faltered. What if she didn't like what he was about to say at all? What if it made things worse? "like a _mother_ to me." In that moment the fairy realized that he was letting her go. He was prepared to accept the fact that she wouldn't want to be near him in his worst case scenario and decided to take the first step. Even if it hurt, because it did, he wasn't thinking about himself but about her. Her heart ached, because for him to accomplish that he must have realized a lot of painful things he used to just ignore, and she couldn't even begin to imagine what he had been through these past four days.

A sob escaped from her lips, and Jack's eyes widened in fear. Had he done something wrong? Did he say something he shouldn't have? Or was she so _happy_ to leave him that she couldn't contain her tears? All of those questions hurt him in one way or another, the most hurtful being the last, because it would reassure him that everything he thought about himself was true. Tooth, realizing what she had done, was quick to compose herself even if the tears still threatened to spill. "I forgive you Jack," she said truthfully, with her heart in her hand and with all the love and care she had for him.

The prince was startled, "you…" he stuttered, "you do?" He asked in disbelief, his hands suddenly shaking on sheer relief, his eyes widening with emotion.

The fairy nodded, "I could never not forgive you, but," she added, and Jack's heart stomach to the floor. "I might stay here a few more days, just… to settle some things," she saw again hurt in the prince's eyes, but as much as she loved him she couldn't afford him going back on his tracks once more. That would be just too painful for her, and if distance taught him how to appreciate the company of people, then so be it. Some lessons must be learned the hard way, and sadly, this was one of them.

"I understand," he replied. "But we're still… friends?" he asked shakily, shyly, afraid of her answer, testing the foreign word he rarely used in mouth and savoring its flavor. Tooth couldn't help the small smile that graced her lips.

"No," she said and Jack's stomach clenched painfully, "I'm your _mother_," she added and flew towards him slowly, stopping an arm distance from him. "I'll always be your immortal mama," her smile widened and Jack couldn't help but chuckle. He had invented that nickname for her on the first few months following his arrival at the Winter Palace, but he stopped using it way too soon for his liking as well as hers.

Then, he shakily opened his arms, "may I?" he asked, not wanting to make any rash movements that might ruin what he had just achieved.

Tooth laughed wholeheartedly and opened her own arms, "of course." All previous décor, all etiquette, all formality be dammed! In a surge of emotion Jack surged forward, throwing himself against the fairy and closing his arms around her in a bone crushing hug, in a tight embrace. The fairy was surprised by the intensity of his emotions, because she noticed he was shaking a bit, and she too closed her arms around his back, smiling to herself. In that moment he once again returned to being a kid, a kid that had just admitted needing her, a kid that had told her silently that he couldn't do it without her. In the end, her Jack was still there, and he was coming back to the surface once again.

* * *

Elsa paced the floor of her chambers, pissed and irritated. Tooth was supposed to come with her and leave the prince brooding on his own. He deserved it, after all. The queen knew how Tooth felt, and she had advised her to stay away from the prince because it was causing her more harm than good. Reluctantly, the fairy did say that perhaps it was for the best. So, when Frost arrived she expected Tooth to close the door on his face, as she did, but somewhere along the way the fairy had done the contrary and stayed with him. And soon, her friend would be in her own chambers, pestering her to talk with the prince, or at least to listen. She wasn't sure she wanted to listen, though. She was tired of fighting, but she didn't want to risk believing in him for him to play dirty with her. So no, she wasn't going to listen.

A knock on the door told her that she was right, because she knew the one knocking was Tooth. With a deep sight, she called "come in" with resigned indifference. The fairy did so, and one look at her teary eyes told her that Frost had been forgiven. Elsa let out a breath in exasperation, fighting the urge to pull at her braid, "you forgave didn't you?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

Tooth's eyes became bigger and the fact that they were shinning wasn't helping the resolve of the queen, "he's changed Elsa, I know it! I can see it in his eyes, I can hear it the way he's speaking, and I can _feel_ it," she exclaimed in a sing song voice as she flew around the room completely exhilarated. "He told me what he was really feeling, what he's always felt but has been too afraid to show," she went on and the queen was just waiting until the moment when the fairy would drop the news.

Tooth then flew low and approached the queen, grabbing her by the shoulders and looking at her in the eyes, "he asked to speak with you," there it was, "_alone_," she'd said it. Elsa made a face of disgust.

"I won't," she determinedly declared, "every time I _consider_ the possibility of giving him an opportunity he proves to me just how wrong I am and how selfish he really is," the queen turned his face away from the pleading eyes of the fairy, not willing to give in.

"But he's changed!" Toothiana whined, making Elsa's head snap in her direction.

"Seriously?" she asked, her voice a pitch higher demonstrating her outrage, moving her hands heatedly, "how many times has he told you the same thing with the same crocodile tears in his eyes?" The queen shook off the hands of the fairy and walked towards the window and stared outside to the jungle, a frown on her beautiful features. The fairy couldn't help but think that both of them did that; stare at the window, that is, when they felt troubled or had a lot to think about.

"Please Elsa," Tooth tried again, "he has said sorry before, but never with such a feeling; he has looked at me in the eye, but he's never shown me his emotions; he's told me he appreciates my company, but he has never hugged me like that, like I was his anchor." The queen turned to look at her with a shadow of doubt on her blue eyes, "he just wants to talk."

Elsa turned to the window once more, biting his lower lip with a frown of worry. She tried, she really did try to give him a chance, but… some way or the other he always reminded her that he was no good. That his ways were ruthless and that he didn't care about anything but himself. If there had one been the tiniest bit of good inside of him, it was gone, and now all that was left was a manipulative shell that loved to use people as he pleased. She didn't want to have _anything_ to do with him.

_Bunny used you too_, that annoying rational voice in her head reply, _and you gave him a chance_. She turned hesitantly to look at Tooth, who was still pleading her with her eyes, and groaned in annoyance, hoping she wouldn't regret it, "Fine, I'll _talk_ with him," the queen relented and the fairy leaped in the air and squealed in a high pitch that almost left the queen deaf, and sooner than the queen would've liked they were out the door and walking through the same halls to reach the same platform as before. Which was… uncommon… to say the least; if he had been forgiven then why wasn't he inside the palace, seated while eating some cookies with tea? (Of course that would've been in Arandelle, she didn't know the immortal customs for visits.) That led her to believe that Tooth hadn't been that much of a fool and that even when the prince had been forgiven, there was more to it than she knew.

Again, she climbed down her own stairs made of ice, to show him that she was not defenseless, and stood proudly at the base of them with her hand on the handle, showing her most royal mask. Meanwhile Jack was looking at the floor, pacing the space he had as he thought about what he was going to say to Elsa. It wasn't the same as to say sorry to Tooth, because Tooth had a different personality. Besides, the fairy knew about his past and understood why he made some things the way he did them… the queen didn't. And suddenly she's standing there in front of him and his mind goes blank. The only thought he can clearly register is relief, because she's okay and because he's seen her again; but her face tells him she doesn't feel the same. If anything she's even more guarded than before.

The prince bowed down, no mockery, no ill intentions, nothing to embarrass her; the queen was caught off guard. "What do you want?" she asked, defensively and a bit rudely, because she was not expecting that.

Jack straightened himself slowly, "I came…" his voice faltered and he cleared his throat, "I came to say _I'm sorry_," he said looking at the queen, who was eyeing him suspiciously, wearily. How could she trust him? How could she know he was being honest when he had yet to prove it?

The prince released a soft, defeated sigh, "I know you don't believe me… I haven't given you any reason to trust me." He took a tiny step forward, but seeing the defensive position of the queen and the way she was ready to run away from him he took it back almost instantly. "I'm tired," he proceeded to confess, "I am really tired of fighting, I'm tired of thinking and I am tired of _hurting_ people." He struggled with the words, "I am not an open person; I don't trust, I don't confide, I don't _feel_ because that is _weakness_. But… doing that has been hurting people, like you, like Tooth, and I'm _tired _of that." _I'm tired of feeling hopeless and alone_, he thought but didn't say.

Elsa was still tense, listening, doubting whether she should believe him and trust him or not. Tooth said he had changed, but how could she know that? The prince gulped loudly, "therefore I have made a decision." Again, the alarms rang in the queen's head; every time he reached a decision it always involved her and something _not good_ happening to her. Maybe to him it brought something good, but not for her.

"I am not going to go back to the Winter Palace," she said warningly, backing away towards the staircase ready to run back to her chambers.

Jack watched her with hurt, because as much as he wanted it to be false, she was really afraid and despised him because of what he had done. He still didn't know why, but it hurt in his chest when he saw her anguished face, so he raised his hands in a pacific manner, trying to get her to calm down.

"I won't force you to come back to the palace," he said softly, and the queen's stopped a few inches away from the steps, "I won't force you to do anything anymore." Elsa's breath hitched in her throat and she held her breath, above her she felt Tooth's flight stop for a millisecond before remembering to keep moving her wings to stay afloat in the air.

The prince passed a hand through his already messy hair and shifted nervously on his place. He bit his lip, fighting with himself about the words he should say, but Elsa was waiting for him and he owned her a reply. He took a deep breath and put his heart on his hand, hoping he was doing the right thing, hoping that this was the right way to go, and spoke with nothing but pure honesty. "I _need_ you," he said after a few minutes of heavy silence, "all I ever wanted, all I have been fighting for in the last century, is standing right in front of me right now. _You_, Queen Elsa of Arendelle, are the key to _my_ freedom… but I can't do this anymore."

His heart was beating loud and fast on his chest, he was listening to it in his ears, his hands were moist from nerves and his stomach was doing strange somersaults that would have brought out the contents of it had he had any. "I… I'm going to let you make the choice. You can go back to your kingdom; I will do them no harm now, or ever, so go and do what you will. In three days…" his voice broke, but he swallowed and never broke the eye contact, "in three days we will met up and you will tell me what you decided."

Elsa was trembling; it was too good to be true. Was there a catch? Could she trust him? What would ask of her in return? What if she said yes? What if she said _no_? Would he keep his word of no harming her beloved Arandelle, her beloved sister? The world swayed in front of her eyes and she gripped the staircase tight trying to steady herself. "What about Mother Earth?" she finally asked, with her voice shaky and low.

"She doesn't know any of this," he replied, in the same low tone but instead his voice was firm. "This was my idea, my plan all along. Is that… okay with you?"

The queen took a deep breath, two deep breaths, three deep breaths; "will _any_ harm come to my kingdom?" she asked, doubting his initial statement and testing the waters. It was just so good… if he was lying, she would be so devastated and she would most definitely never forgive him.

Jack shook his head, "I will personally make sure to keep your kingdom safe in winter," he supplied, "and no harm will come to it, or to the crops, or the rivers, or the people or your family."

The queen kept eyeing him, surveying him; she looked into his eyes, eyes that looked directly into hers, and her gut told her he wasn't lying. The expectancy in the air could be touched, felt and even smelled. He extended his arm, the one with the staff, and waited until she decided. "If this is a trick, Frost, I swear-"

"It's not," he cut her off, "for the first time since you've known me, this is not a trick or a joke or a work of mockery. It's the plain truth." Elsa turned to look at Toothiana, who had her hands covering her mouth and tears of sorrow coming down her face. But the tears of sorrow weren't meant for her, the queen realized, but for him; she realized then that the fairy saw something she couldn't, because she knew things she didn't. When Tooth caught her gaze, he wiped the tears of her face and put on her best smile, nodding to encourage her to take the staff. If she wasn't sure if Frost was lying, at least she knew that Tooth wasn't, so she would trust her and her gut.

Hesitantly, she raised her arm and grabbed the staff. She felt once more the sensation of the wind around her, raising her off the floor and keeping her afloat. She turned to look at the prince, and he was looking at her with an endearing look he had never had before, but he soon looked away. His heart felt strangely heavy and light at the same time; he knew he had done the right thing, but sometimes the right thing was painful. It was painful to let go, and it was painful to change. He didn't dare to look at her for the rest of the way, and her nerves radiated from her in waves. Still, he didn't regret it, and the selfish voice in his head quieted down after a while. He didn't know what was going to happen; unlike before, now he wasn't certain of anything. Everything from this point forth, was entirely up to her, and he could only hope that the chose he made, included him in her life.

* * *

**So… did you like it, did you hate it? I thought this would be a surprising and welcomed twist to the story, and you have no idea what I've planned for the next one. I'd like to thank to all those who added this story to their favorites, who added it to their alerts as well as me as an author, even when you don't review I still see that you enjoy it because of the constant support. Thanks also to all my reviewers, who have become a lot to list in this fic which honestly surprised me greatly, and it means that you like it. All of you will receive a PM with my proper reply, those who don't have an account I'll do my best to reply briefly here:**

**VK: I am really happy you like the story so much, I must thank you for your support and how you're always so passionate about the story. I'm really glad that you enjoy the complexity, and, well… just _thank you_ very much for all of your support, it really means a lot to me. I hope you have a very good and beautiful day.**

**Ice Ranger: Hi! Thank you very much for your review, and the support; I'm really happy you like the story so much. I honestly can't picture Bunny with Tooth in a romantic level, it's more like imagine your best friend for five hundred years or an eternity together. The bond they share is really strong, but nothing else than friendship. I hope your first question was answered in this chapter, and to answer your second I imagine sprites as beings that are immortal, but can get wounded and hurt, and if the damage is too bad their life will extinguish. Again, thanks for the support, and I wish you the best of days.**

**YouNameIt: Hello, thanks a lot for your review. I hope that many of your questions were answered in this chapter, am I right? Don't worry, I know that was a complex chapter, and that this is a complex story, but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless.**

**That's it for today, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and that your questions were answered mostly. This is an important point of inflection to the story, so the next chapter might be a little less intense and… maybe… more Jelsa-ish? I don't know, it's still in progress. I wish you all a very good day, and I apologize if my author notes are too long and annoying *looks sheepish*.**

**If you have any questions, feel free to send me a PM or look me up on Tumblr under this same pen name and ask me a question!**

**Until we meet again,**

**ClearEyes**


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